What is ICC?

What is the ICC?

The International Committee for Crimea (ICC) is a group of people interested in raising awareness about the historical, cultural, and socio-political aspects of the Crimean Tatars in their native land as well as in Diaspora. They are descendants of Crimean Tatars living in diaspora, Tatars who have returned to Crimea after almost forty-seven years of forced exile, and friends and allies of Crimean Tatars. Our members live in the U.S.A, Turkey, Germany, Holland, and Ukraine.

The ICC provides a platform where dedicated and active Crimean Tatars and friends of Tatars can meet and share information, ideas, and experiences. Through Crimea-L, an Internet discussion group, and this Web site, the ICC aims to create and maintain a network of Crimean Tatars and friends of Tatars in different parts of the world.

The ICC was founded in the summer of 1997 by Idil P. Izmirli, with the assistance of Mehmet Tutuncu and members of Turkistan-L, an Internet discussion group. Ms. Izmirli directed and organized the initial activities of the ICC. In February 1999, the group adopted a set of Bylaws, and accordingly the ICC is managed by an Executive Board. Mubeyyin B. Altan served as the first President (1999-2003), followed by Inci A. Bowman, Ph.D. (2003-2007). Idil P. Izmirli, Ph.D., will begin her second term as President in March 2009. The languages of the ICC are English, Turkish, and Crimean Tatar. Because most ICC communications take place via the Internet, however, English remains the primary language.

Individual members of the ICC may engage in a variety of activities, which fall under the following categories:

To disseminate information about the ongoing socio-political and cultural events in Crimea
To monitor and publicize the official and non-official policies that affect the current Tatar population in Crimea as well as in Ukraine
To support historical research and gather documentation on the devastating effects of governmental policies (e.g. deportation) on the Crimean Tatar population
To raise awareness about the Crimean Tatars by organizing and participating in professional conferences and consortiums
To participate actively in local Crimean Tatar organizations

We believe that Crimean Tatars, who were unjustly deported en masse from their homeland by Soviet authorities on 18 May 1944, have the right to live in their homeland in peace, free of social and economic prejudices against them. We look forward to the day when Crimean Tatars are recognized as people with a history and culture who inhabited the Crimean peninsula for centuries.

Updated: February 2009

	International Committee for Crimea ICC, P.O. Box 15078, Washington, DC 20003.
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What is the ICC? The International Committee for Crimea (ICC) is a group of people interested in raising awareness about the historical, cultural, and socio-political aspects of the Crimean Tatars in their native land as well as in Diaspora. They are descendants of Crimean Tatars living in diaspora, Tatars who have returned to Crimea after almost forty-seven years of forced exile, and friends and allies of Crimean Tatars. Our members live in the U.S.A, Turkey, Germany, Holland, and Ukraine. The ICC provides a platform where dedicated and active Crimean Tatars and friends of Tatars can meet and share information, ideas, and experiences. Through Crimea-L, an Internet discussion group, and this Web site, the ICC aims to create and maintain a network of Crimean Tatars and friends of Tatars in different parts of the world. The ICC was founded in the summer of 1997 by Idil P. Izmirli, with the assistance of Mehmet Tutuncu and members of Turkistan-L, an Internet discussion group. Ms. Izmirli directed and organized the initial activities of the ICC. In February 1999, the group adopted a set of Bylaws, and accordingly the ICC is managed by an Executive Board. Mubeyyin B. Altan served as the first President (1999-2003), followed by Inci A. Bowman, Ph.D. (2003-2007). Idil P. Izmirli, Ph.D., will begin her second term as President in March 2009. The languages of the ICC are English, Turkish, and Crimean Tatar. Because most ICC communications take place via the Internet, however, English remains the primary language. Individual members of the ICC may engage in a variety of activities, which fall under the following categories: To disseminate information about the ongoing socio-political and cultural events in Crimea To monitor and publicize the official and non-official policies that affect the current Tatar population in Crimea as well as in Ukraine To support historical research and gather documentation on the devastating effects of governmental policies (e.g. deportation) on the Crimean Tatar population To raise awareness about the Crimean Tatars by organizing and participating in professional conferences and consortiums To participate actively in local Crimean Tatar organizations We believe that Crimean Tatars, who were unjustly deported en masse from their homeland by Soviet authorities on 18 May 1944, have the right to live in their homeland in peace, free of social and economic prejudices against them. We look forward to the day when Crimean Tatars are recognized as people with a history and culture who inhabited the Crimean peninsula for centuries. Updated: February 2009 ICC Home Page