Decentralisation and the right to self-determination: an ethical perspective on crimean tatar autonomy

The article analyses the legal positions of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights to preserve and develop their own identity within a democratic state. The article substantiates the necessity of integrating an ethical dimension into national law-making, particularly in the development of autonomy models for the Crimean Tatar people as an autochthonous community of Ukraine. It is emphasised that the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in cases concerning the cultural, linguistic, and religious rights of minorities contribute to a unified understanding of autonomy not merely as a territorial or administrative concept, but as a legal mechanism for safeguarding collective dignity, historical memory, and cultural identity. Attention is drawn to the fact that the Court’s case law formulates principles of fundamental importance for the States Parties to the Convention, according to which the state’s obligation is not limited to refraining from discriminatory actions, but also entails taking active measures to create conditions in which national minorities and indigenous peoples can effectively exercise their right to collective existence. The necessity of implementing these approaches within the national system of public governance is underlined, particularly in the context of ongoing de-occupation and the reconstruction of institutional interaction in the territory of Crimea. In this context, the Crimean Tatar issue emerges as a litmus test for the maturity of Ukrainian statehood and its ability to harmonise the legal and moral foundations of a modern democratic order. The conclusion is substantiated that the implementation of the autonomous rights of the Crimean Tatar people should be based not only on historical justice but also on established standards of international law confirmed by the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, which recognise the special status of indigenous peoples within a state, provided that the principles of territorial integrity, non-discrimination, and cultural pluralism are upheld. Such approach makes it possible to understand autonomy as an effective legal tool not for separation, but rather for affirming unity through diversity, in which each community has the right to development, self-realisation and symbolic recognition.