The Praesidium of the Government of Chechen Republic Ichkeria has published a statement on February 23 about “1944 deportation of Chechen people” and “The National Chechen Revival Day”; however due technical reasons we could publish it now.

Statement of the Praesidium of the Government of Chechen Republic Ichkeria

Today exactly 66 years have passed since the Chechen and Ingush people were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan. In this outrageous act of cruelty organized by the Stalinist clique, more than half of those deported died as a result of hunger and extreme winter temperatures. In the past, many other nations have been subjected to similar acts of vandalism and felony committed by Russia, including other nations coerced into its empire.

The imperial behaviour of both tsarist Russia and the Soviet Regime was constantly aimed at depriving these ethnic minorities of any basic human rights. Small nations were virtually denied any cultural recognition. Religion, languages, culture, traditions and ethnic affiliation were all subject to continuous ideological persecution from the imperial authorities, which defined them as ‘vestiges of the past’.

Despite all this, the occupied nations kept up a struggle for their survival and never submitted to the anti-national policies of the Russian Empire against them. Surviving 13 years of hardships in exile, the Chechen people returned home from deportation and in 1991 re-established its statehood during the collapse of USSR. Among other newly independent states of the former USSR, the Chechen Republic (subsequently to become the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria), which was now re-established in accordance with international law, was officially recognised by Georgia on 13 March1992.

At the same time imperial forces from the former USSR, in their attempt to save the remains of the empire, forced the newly established states into a so-called ‘Federal Agreement’, with strong intentions of reviving the former Soviet State in any possible shape or form. The new Empire (the Russian Federation) was forced upon people on 31 March 1993, with its new so-called constitution, adopted in December 1993. This new Russian Constitution restricted the rights of all small nations, going against the very concept of a ‘Federal Agreement’, signed by them in the early stages of Russia’s formation. The Chechen Republic was also unlawfully included in this new ‘so-called’ constitution. And this despite the fact that the Chechen nation had at that time left the USSR and formed an independent state.

Claiming the territory of the Chechen Republic to be a part of the Russian Federation, the Kremlin set out to interfere with the recognition of the Chechen  State on the international arena, at the same time committing numerous military provocations with the aim of discrediting of our statehood. When the new Russian Empire could not succeed in this, it launched a military attack in November – December 1994. The first war ended with the defeat of the aggressor and Russia’s subsequent withdrawal in December 1996, leaving behind 125,000 innocent civilians murdered and the entire infrastructure of Chechnya reduced to ruins.

In December 1999 Russia  invaded the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria again, occupying its territory and killing another 125,000 civilians, 42,000 of whom were children.

The territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is now under occupation, with a puppet regime imposed. Against all odds, Chechen resistance has not ceased. As throughout the past centuries, our people are as determined as ever to rid themselves of the occupying regime and re-establish the Constitution and the lawful authority of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria throughout its territory, despite the Kremlin’s propaganda, involving its secret agents, some of them from the Chechen population. Among them are also former members of the Chechen Government, who have humiliated themselves by giving in to Moscow propaganda, having lost their belief in freeing our native land from foreign invaders.

In 1994, this anniversary of the deportation of the Chechen people was declared official ‘Chechen National Revival Day’ by a decree of the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. In 2004, the deportation of the Chechen people was justly recognized by the European Parliament as an act of genocide.

The Presidium of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria’s Government calls upon the international community and world heads of state to assist in freeing the territory of our state from invaders, thus com complying with their international duty towards the Chechen nation.

Moreover, on behalf of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, we call upon all states and international organizations to recognize both the deportation of the Chechen people in 1944 and the mass murder of Chechen people by the Russian Federation since 1994 as acts of genocide.

Respected fellow-citizens, brothers and sisters! We congratulate you on ‘Chechen National Revival Day’ – 23 February 2010! We wish for all of you that our native land will soon be free of the hated invaders. We wish all of you success and steadfastness, and we wish you happiness!

23.02.2010

The Praesidium of the Government of Chechen Republic Ichkeria