KChR residents commemorate victims of Karachais' deportation
On the Remembrance Day of Deportation Victims, flowers were laid at memorials in the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR). The law on commemorating victims of political repressions, adopted in 2016, has brought no visible results in the republic, Kyady Haji Khalkechev, the chairman of the Congress of the Karachai people, has noted.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ilyas Bogatyryov, the president of the "Elbrusoid" Fund, had noted that Karachais' rehabilitation was indefinitely suspended, even Karachais themselves would not discuss their problems. Most of the Karachais, who has survived the exile are maintained by their children, as their pensions are not enough to live on, Marika Khubieva, the organizer of the "Vopreki" (Contrary to) Project.
In the USSR, the deportation of Karachais was launched on November 2, 1943; in total, 79,000 people were deported. Most of them – over 43,000, including 22,000 children, – died on the way and in resettlement places.
Rashid Temrezov, the head of the KChR, has noted that under the hardships of exile, the people "managed not only to survive, but also to preserve their culture, mother tongue, traditions and customs."
Mr Khalkechev has recalled the colossal losses during the deportation.
The 1991 law "On Rehabilitation of Repressed Nations" has caused tensions, since the return of lands to the repressed peoples turned out to be an impossible task, Yan Rachinsky, the board chairman of the International Society "Memorial"*, has stated.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 2, 2021 at 11:59 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: CK correspondent