MOSCOW, September 29 (RAPSI, Oleg Sivozhelezov) – The Supreme Court of Russia has upheld the Crimean Supreme Court’s ruling over ban of Crimean Tatar Majlis, RAPSI learned in the court on Thursday.

On April 26, the Supreme Court of Crimea granted a lawsuit filed by republic’s Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya and banned the Majlis of Crimean Tatars as extremist organization.

The ruling came into force today.

Poklonskaya stated that members of the Majlis of Crimean Tatars public association are focused on anti-Russian activity. According to Prosecutor, the Majlis leaders, Refat Chubarov and Mustafa Dzhemilev, have organized food and energy blockade of the peninsula. They allegedly cooperate with various terrorist organizations as well.

After Crimea reunited with Russia in 2014, both Dzhemilev and Chubarov were banned from entering the republic for five years. The regional officials claim that the Tatar leaders’ activity incited inter-ethnic hatred.

In May 2015, a criminal case has been opened in Crimea against Refat Chubarov over public calls for extremist activity.

Chubarov has been president of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars since 2009. In November 2013, he replaced Mustafa Dzhemilev as head of Crimean Tatar Majlis (parliament), an organization not registered under Russian law.