This Blessed Land: Crimea and the Crimean Tatars

The John Yaremko Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto will be commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars by Soviet forces with an inter-faith memorial service and a book launch (see flyer on left).

Prior to the presentation of the book This Blessed Land: Crimea and the Crimean Tatars by Professor Paul Robert Magosci, The Chair of the Tatar Mejlis and Member of Ukraine's Parliament Mustafa Dzhemilev will deliver an address.

About the speakers:


MUSTAFA DZHEMILEV

“Mustafa Dzhemilev, a former Soviet dissident and leader of the Crimean Tatar national movement, is a rare example of resolutely non-violent protest in the face of overwhelming odds. He was six months old at the time of the Crimean deportation, and at the age of 18 founded the Union of Crimean Tatar Youth that formed the base for the eventually successful campaign to rehabiliate his people.  He spent 15 years in Soviet labour camps and conducted one of the world’s longest hunger strikes, 303 days, during which he was force fed.  Now, at the age of 70, he has retired from leading the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar People, though he sits in the Ukrainian parliament.”

Excerpt from an article  by Alan Philips, “Mustafa Dzhemilev: the man who might clip Putin’s wings”  “The National”  March 27, 2014

DR. ANDREW P.W. BENNETT

“Dr. Bennett is a public servant and academic with an extensive educational background in history, political science and religious studies.

He has worked for the Privy Council Office, Export Development Canada and Natural Resources Canada in a wide variety of analytical, research and corporate roles.  Dr. Bennett has also held roles as a Scholar Expert on the Americas Desk with Oxford Analytica and as a Researcher with the University of Edinburgh’s Institute on Governance where he focused on the process of devolution in Scotland.

Dr. Bennett is a leader in his community actively involved with the Augustine College in Ottawa as volunteer Dean and as Professor the History of Christianity.  He is also a religious leader in his capacity as Subdeacon and Cantor with both the Holy Cross Eastern Catholic Chaplaincy and St. John the Baptist Ukrainian-Catholic Shrine, both in Ottawa.  He previously served as Vice-President and Chairman of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation.”

Source:  Government of Canada
http://www.international.gc.ca/religious_freedom-liberte_de_religion