By Russia has placed Ukrainian singer Susana Jamaladinova, who performs under the stage name Jamala, on its wanted list for allegedly violating a law against spreading “so-called fake information” about the Russian military and the ongoing fighting in Ukraine. Jamaladinova won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with the song “1944,” which is thought to be about the deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union in 1944. Her winning performance came two years after Russia annexed Crimea, which is considered illegitimate by most other countries.
Jamaladinova, who performs under the stage name Jamala, is of Crimean Tatar descent. She won the 2016 Eurovision contest with the song “1944,” a title that refers to the year the Soviet Union deported Crimean Tatars en masse.
Her winning performance came almost exactly two years after Russia annexed Crimea as political turmoil gripped Ukraine. Most other countries regard the annexation as illegitimate.
Russia protested “1944” being allowed in the competition, saying it violated rules against political speech in Eurovision. But the song made no specific criticism of Russia or the Soviet Union, although it drew such implications, opening with the lyrics “When strangers are coming, they come to your house, they kill you all and say ‘We’re not guilty.’”
