Protesters gathered outside the Galatasaray Lyceum and walked to Independence Avenue (İstiklal Caddesi).
The participants honored the memory of those killed during the deportation of the Crimean Tatars with a minute of silence, after which the Turkish and Crimean Tatars sang national anthems.
A member of the Crimean Tatar Association of Culture and Mutual Aid read a statement in connection with the 71st anniversary of deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, which said that while Crimean Tatar men were fighting in the Soviet Army against Nazi Germany, their families were forcibly expelled from their homeland.
"Practically no compensation for material and moral damage has been provided to the Crimean Tatars in connection with the genocide of 1944, nor have their national rights been restored in their native land. To date, 350,000 Crimean Tatars have been able to return to their homeland," the document reads.
The Crimean Tatar Association of Culture and Mutual Aid in Istanbul noted that the leadership of Ukraine began the process of restoring Crimean Tatar place names in the peninsula, but after Russia’s annexation of the Crimea, this process was suspended by the Russian government.
The statement also pointed to the pressure being exerted on the Crimean Tatars, including killings, beatings, arrests and bans on entry to the peninsula for Crimean Tatar activists.
The statement also paid attention to the closure of the Crimean Tatar TV channels, news agencies and radio stations.
At the end, participants of the rally placed a black wreath in front of the building of the Russian Consulate.
Earlier the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed its concerns about human rights violations in the Crimea and the oppression of the Crimean Tatars.
