Ingush Ministry accuses director of media holding of attempting to rehabilitate Joseph Stalin

Minister Ulan Evloev has appealed to the General Prosecutor's Office of Russia with a request to respond to the statements voiced by Sergey Plotnikov, the director of the media holding "News Pool", who called the deportation of the Ingush and Chechen peoples during the war a "soft punishment."

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in February, on the eve of the 73rd anniversary of the deportation, deputies of the People's Assembly of Ingushetia adopted in the first reading a draft law banning perpetuating the Joseph Stalin's memory in the region.

Journalist Andrei Apalin interviewed Sergey Plotnikov in connection with the adoption of the draft law. Sergey Plotnikov noted that during World War II natives of Ingushetia and Chechnya massively fought against the Soviet army. "Stalin acted very gently: he did not kill anybody, he simply evicted them. It seems to me that this is the softest punishment for betrayal," said Sergey Plotnikov as quoted by the "Petersburg Newspaper".

On May 5, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, National Policy, Press and Information of Ingushetia held a meeting to discuss the interview of Sergey Plotnikov. "Those statements can bring the person to punishment, and he should be brought to responsibility for insulting the people who heroically fought at the fronts of World War II," said Minister Ulan Evloev.

According to the Ingush Ministry for Foreign Affairs, National Policy, Press and Information, the Federal Law "On the criminal prosecution of persons who deny the deportation of peoples and justify Stalin's genocide" could help suppressing such statements.

Ulan Evloev has sent a letter to General Prosecutor Yuri Chaika with a request to take measures to incite ethnic hatred, the "Interfax" reports.

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