Head of DESS: Muslims in Russia are forced to eat pork fat
Yelensky described the forms of mistreatment faced by Muslims in Crimea.
Viktor Yelensky, the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (DESS), stated that Muslims in Crimea face persecution by Russian authorities and military forces. He made this statement during a press conference titled "Freedom of Conscience in Ukraine: Its Enemies and Defenders", organized by DESS.
"Muslims in Crimea are also persecuted: they are deported deeper into Russia, deprived of their rights... To put it simply, they are forced to eat pork fat, their Qurans are confiscated, and they are denied the opportunity to perform prayers (namaz)," Yelensky explained, though he did not provide specific examples.
He emphasized that all these incidents have been documented.
It will be recalled that Albir Krganov, the Mufti and Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, previously stated that 200,000 Russian Muslims are fighting in the war against Ukraine.
