Burning the effigy of Mustafa Jemilev or issuing statements about impeaching the leaders of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis may be indicative of divisions in the Tatar population in Crimea. However, the Tatar leadership sees these developments as part of the Russian secret services (FSB) activities to split the Crimean Tatar National Movement and remove the pro-Ukrainian elements in Crimea. The recently founded NGO's such as Sebat and New Generation joined forces with Milli Firka to form the so-called Consolidated Front of the Crimean Tatars, which was behind the anti-Mejlis provocations. For further information, see Mustafa Jemilev's interview published in the Day Weekly Digest.

A two-day conference, "Women's movement in Crimea: Past and Present" took place in Simferopol, Crimea, on October 14-15, 2011. Organized by Nenkecan Women's Club, the conference aimed to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Ismail Bey Gasprinskiy and the 125th anniversary of the birth of his daughter Sefika. Inci Bowman from Washington, DC, was among those invited to the conference.

Conference participants visit Gasprinskiy's Tomb

Other out-of-town guests came from Kyiv and Harkiv in Ukraine; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Istanbul, Turkey; and Moscow, Russia. On the first day of the Conference, participants met at the Crimean State University for Engineering and Pedagogy to present and discuss papers. The next day, they visited Bagchasaray, touring the major sights relating to Crimean Tatar history, including the tomb of Ismail Bey Gasprinskiy. The progress made toward the restoration of historical sites in the former capital of the Crimean Khanate was impressive. Photographs relating to the Conference may be viewed on Picasa Web site.

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation unveiled the Gulag Exhibit of the online Global Museum on Communism. The preview trailer of the Exhibit was shown at the National Press Club on November 30. In addition to exclusive essays by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum, eminent Soviet historian Dr. Richard Pipes, and Estonian author and journalist Imbi Paju, the Gulag Exhibit will features a detailed, interactive 3D virtual Gulag camp environment that allows viewers to walk through and experience a Gulag camp. The preview trailer now available online at Global Museum on Communism.

After serving as Moderator of Crimea-L for nearly three years, Ayla Bakkalli resigned on December 1. A familiar face in the Crimean Tatar community in New York, Ms. Bakkalli managed day-to-day activities of Crimea-L, a Yahoo groups forum sponsord by the International Committee for Crimea. Under her leadership the membership increased and nearly 1,000 messages were sent out. She has extensive experience in non-profit organizations, has represented Crimean Tatars at the United Nations and is currently on the Executive Committee of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars. We are very grateful that she found time to devote to Crimea-L and thank her for all her efforts on behalf of the International Committee for Crimea.

The well-known Crimean Tatar author, Cengiz Dagci, passed away in London on September 22 at the age of 92. Born and educated in Crimea, Dagci served in the Soviet Army during World War II. He was taken a prisoner of war by the Nazis, and subsequently drafted into the Turkistan Legionary forces organized by the Germans. After the war, he settled in England, where he continued to live until his death.

Cengiz Dagci in London

Cengiz Dagci's novels, describing his experiences in Crimea and World War II, were all written in Turkish, although he never lived in or visited Turkey. However, his impact was more on Turkish readers than Crimean Tatars, as shown by the wide press coverage the news of his death received in Turkey. His body was flown to Crimea via Istanbul, and his funeral service in Simferopol was attended by a large delegation of Turkish officials, authors and members of diaspora, including Ahmet Davutoglu, Foreign Minister of Turkey. Cengiz Dagci was buried in the village of Kiziltas (near Yalta), where he was born. None of his works appeared in English translation, but his autobiography (Hatiralarda Cengiz Dagci) was translated into Russian by Professor Adile Emirova. May he rest in peace.

April is Poetry Month, at least in the United States. In observance of the Poetry Month, we present a short list of Crimean Tatar poems, read by native speakers. The poems are mostly well known poems in Crimean Tatar literature and are readily available on YouTube. Acknowledgment is due to Reşat Sabiq, ICC member, for drawing our attention to these poems on the YouTube. Happy Poetry Month and enjoy the poems.

• "Tuvgan Til" by Bekir Çobanzade
• "Bir izin beriniz" by Bekir Çobanzade
• "Bir Saray Quracaqman" by Bekir Çobanzade
• "Ezan Sesi" by Bekir Çobanzade
• "Tatarlıgım" by Shevki Bektöre
• "Gurbetlikte Bala Edim" by Riza Yusuf
• "Yüregime" by Eşref Şemizade
• "Ant Etkenmen Aytaman" by Amdi Geraybay (Hamdi Giraybay)
• "Neden" by Güner Akmolla