Residents of Chechnya do not agree to treat February 23 as a holiday

On February 23, no official events dedicated to the anniversary of the Stalin's deportation of Chechens are to be carried out in Chechnya. This was reported by the administration of the Chechen leader and government. Officials have also noted that the events are scheduled for May 10. Many residents of Chechnya express extremely negative attitude towards cancellation of mourning events on the anniversary of the Stalin's deportation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that earlier, the Day of Memory and Grief was marked in Chechnya on February 23, on the day of the deportation of Chechen and Ingush people to Kazakhstan and Central Asia in 1944. In 2011, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov issued a resolution to announce the date of May 10 as a date of official mourning for victims of the deportation. Ramzan Kadyrov explained his decision by the fact that the republic should celebrate the state holidays of the Russian Federation, including the Defender of the Fatherland Day, together with other regions.

On February 22, at a meeting in Grozny held in honour of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, Ramzan Kadyrov claimed the Chechens were responsible themselves for their deportation.

Many residents of the Chechen Republic, especially people of the older generation, said that the day of February 23 still stays for them a day of mourning for their relatives who died during the deportation and years of exile.

Wakha, a resident of Grozny, notes that his worst memories are connected with the deportation of 1944.

Khava, a former teacher, states that the Chechen authorities want to deprive citizens of the republic of their historical memory, although even the Soviet regime failed to do that.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.