Chechen intellectuals address open letter to Russian President

Several Chechen men of science, culture and education appealed to President of Russia Vladimir Putin on March 2, asking him to take measures "not to allow the preconceived and negative coverage of developments in the Chechen Republic by the mass media." Academician Ibragim Israilov, Professors Sharpudi Akhmadov and Khamzan Gakayev, head of the Chechen State University Abdula Khamzayev, as well as journalists, poets and writes are among those who signed the appeal. The Chechen intellectuals are deeply concerned about the attitude towards the natives of Chechnya on the territory of the Russian Federation. In their opinion, the mass media play a large part in forming the negative image of the Chechens. "A Chechen trace is found in any crime committed on the territory of Russia, though in most cases residents of the other regions arrange and commit them," reads the letter. The authors of the appeal also ask the Russian President to award state decorations to residents of the Chechen Republic who took part in the Great Patriotic War but were unable to get them because of the deportation in 1944. This step, in the authors' opinion, could help restore historical justice.