Circassian activists send repeated appeal to Ukrainian authorities to recognize Circassian genocide

Members of the Circassian community in Russia and some other countries have sent an appeal to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk asking them to recognize the genocide of the Circassian nation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 19 a number of public figures of Northern Caucasus and Israel addressed Oleksandr Turchynov, the then Acting President of Ukraine and the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada asking him to recognize the Circassian genocide.

The second appeal to Ukrainian authorities was signed by 34 Circassian activists from Turkey, Russia, United States, Jordan, Brazil and Israel.

The appeal says that in the 18^th and 19^th centuries the Russian empire committed the genocide, as a result of which the majority of the Circassian nation was liquidated.

The authors of the appeal believe that "there is no difference between the occupation of Circassia in 1864 by the Russian Empire and the current Russian occupation of Ukraine." "In this regard, we support the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people in their fair struggle and urge you to recognize the Circassian genocide," the appeal says.