Yevhen Zhupan: Zakarpattia has to be autonomous

Territorial autonomy for Crimean Tatars in the Crimea will be discriminatory until President Petro Poroshenko analogically decides to give autonomy to the Rusyn diaspora in Zakarpattia – according to Yevhen Zhupan, the Head of the National Council of Rusyns of Zakarpattia to which most of the Rusyn organizations of the territory belong. The information was given by Новини Ужгорода (Uzhorod News).

Zhupan reminded that, according to the referendum of 1991, Zakarpattia was to be autonomous. “In 1991, 78,5% of the Zakarpattia Oblast inhabitants voted for autonomy. In accordance with the laws of 1991, decisions made by referendum were to become valid automatically. However, Zakarpattia did not obtain autonomy and the referendum was not respected. In fact, autonomy was announced de iure, and de facto Ukraine obeys their own rules within its territory.” – according to Yevhen Zhupan cited by the Uzhorod News.

The Head of the National Council of Rusyns of Zakarpattia emphasized further that it is only Ukraine that does not acknowledge Rusyns. “In our region of Zakarpattia, Rusyns are recognized as a separate nation. The Subcarpathian Rus’ is Rusyns’ historical land. It seems that Rusyns are not recognized as a nation only on their own, mother land. It is commonly considered to be a disregard of human rights. We need to obtain such a statute as the Crimean Tatars have. We are not worse,” as Zhupan further explains.

“We want to have our schools, our faculties. This issue has been raised for 25 years. There are departments of Rusyn language in Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia. We would also want to have one. According to the Ukrainian law, Rusyn language is recognized there, it exists. But it seems as if Rusyns did not. How is this possible?,” Zhupan ends, cited by the Uzhorod News.

ARTICLE WRITTEN ACCORDING TO PRESOVIAN RUSYN STANDARDS