Findings
In order to answer the research questions of the paper , interviews have been conducted . Purposive sampling strategy , which was the most suitable option for this research , was used in order to choose interviewees . Ten interviews have been conducted with the Crimean Armenians which revealed evidence and helped answering the research questions .
Document review was done in order to understand the rights and privileges ethnic minorities of Crimea had during both Ukrainian and Russian rule . The research faced a number of limitations . Firstly , because of the COVID-19 pandemic the interviews were conducted online . It was not possible to go to Crimea and conduct interviews face to face with the representatives of the Crimean Armenian community because of the mentioned reason . Some interviewees , who were purposefully chosen based on their life experience and background in Crimea refused to give interviews because of various reasons .
Rights and legislation
Article 9 of the Crimean Constitution of 1998 stipulates “ Securing Rights and Freedoms of Ukrainian Nationals in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ”. According to Article 9.2 , The Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ( ARC ) and the statutory acts of the authorities of the ARC may in no way limit any rights and freedoms of citizens established by the Constitution of Ukraine and Ukrainian laws ( Constitution of Crimea 1998 ). This article shows that the rights of national minorities in Crimea were protected by the main law of the Autonomous Republic . Indeed , the following articles of the constitution prove this point . For example , Article 10.1 stipulates that alongside the official language , Russian , Crimean Tatar and other ethnic groups ’ languages must be secured , used and protected . Moreover , according to Article 10.2 , Russian , as the language of the majority shall be used in all spheres of public life ( ibid ). Article 10.3 gives more freedom to the languages of the national minorities of Crimea . It stipulates that citizens should have the right to be educated in their native language at preschool establishments and to be taught in the native language in public educational establishments in accordance with Ukrainian legislation and other statutes of the ARC .
Indeed , we can observe that since then , Article 10 has been functioning properly as there are a number of Crimean Tatar and Armenian schools in Crimea . According to the information provided by rg . ru , as of 2020 , there are 547 schools in Crimea of which 16 are Crimean Tatar ( Izotov 2020 ). There are Armenian
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