A translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights into the Crimean Tatar language was presented in Kyiv on October 24, according to a Krym.Realii correspondent.

“Today marks a historic event. It is today that we are announcing that, for the first time—not only in the history of the Crimean Tatar people but also in world history—the text of a foundational legal document—the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—has been translated into the Crimean Tatar language. Further procedures will be carried out to ensure that this text is registered with the UN in the Crimean Tatar language,” said Eskender Bariev, chairman of the board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Boris Babin, Professor, Doctor of Law, and Scientific Advisor at Barristers JSC, who served as a consultant on the translation, noted the importance of such a document.

“Issues surrounding international texts—texts of universal legal significance—are directly linked to the language in which these texts are written. When these texts are read not in one’s own language but in a foreign one, the foreign language becomes the norm for them. Therefore, it is extremely important for any people—and especially for an indigenous people—to have an understanding and vision of the foundations of the world order and human rights in their native language,” he said.​

Bariyev added that a number of experts in philology and law, as well as individuals with experience in editing texts in the Crimean Tatar language, participated in the development of the document.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document recommended for all UN member states, adopted at the third session of the UN General Assembly in December 1948. The document itself is a global definition of the rights that are inherent to all human beings.