Yesterday was the 67th anniversary of Stalin’s deportations of the Chechen and Ingush people. Vainakh people and their friends commemorated those painful days all around the world.

Austria: Members of the Chechen-Ingush Diaspora gathered at Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Square) in Vienna. The action was held between 15.00-17.00 hours.

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria: There were several events in remembrance of the mass deportation in 1944. Our citizens prayed and did dhikr in the entire country.

Denmark: The civic organization “Free Caucasus” organized a demonstration in front of the Russian embassy in Copenhagen. Our brothers from Azerbaijan and Georgia were also among the Chechen-Ingush demonstrators. Ilyas Musayev, head of the committee also gave a speech. He called on international institutions like the UN, PACE, OSCE, and the Council of Europe to design democratic freedoms and rights of people and to condemn the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions.

Egypt: The members of a Facebook group “AlChechan” organized a silent demonstration in front of the Russian embassy in Cairo. Our Muslim brothers held placards related to the inhumane and barbaric actions of Stalin against the Chechen-Ingush nation in 1944 and also demanded a free Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The group’s members wanted to deliver a letter to the consulate, but the authorities refused to take it.

France: A protest was organized in Paris. The participants gave speeches about the 1944 deportation and also the ongoing brutal Russian invasion of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

Finland: The Finnish-Chechen Society organized a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Helsinki. Despite the cold weather, many Chechen-Ingush and local Finnish people attended the action. FSB agent and Finnish Pastor, Juha Molari and his friends tried to prevent the action. He taped and photographed the protesters, and also played the Russian national anthem.

Georgia: A conference named “Nobody is Forgotten, Nothing is Forgotten” was held in the capital, Tbilisi. The well-known Chechen poet Apti Bisultanov and the widow of our first President Alla Dudaeva were among the speakers. During the event, a slide-show about the deportation of 1944 was watched, and the presentation of Apti Bisultanov’s poetry book in Chechen and Georgian was made.

The second event was held in the city of Gori. The Vainakh Union and Georgian Youth Movement gathered in the city center where Stalin’s monument once stood. The participants held Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Ingushetia and Georgian flags, as well as firebrands.

The events related to the deportation in 1944 continued in Tbilisi on February 24th. Apti Bisultanov was a guest of the International Union of Young Caucasians. They read his poems, talked about historical realities and answered the questions of young Caucasians.

Germany: The German-Caucasian Society organized a demonstration at Pariser Platz, Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The protesters spoke about the deportation of Chechen and Ingush people on February 23, 1944, on the orders of Stalin. The participants also condemned the secret visit of Kadyrov’s representatives to Germany which recently occurred. Ekkehard Maaß, head of the German-Caucasian Society, also gave a speech. He demanded the establishment of an international tribunal for investigating Russian war crimes in Chechnya.

Jordan: Members of the old Chechen Diaspora gathered in front of the Russian Embassy in Amman. The participants condemned the Russian policy against the Chechen-Ingush nation. On the other hand, there were several events about the 1944 deportation in different cities of Jordan.

Ingushetia: A demonstration was organized near the memorial of victims of political repression. The meeting was devoted to the 67th anniversary of the deportation of Chechen and Ingush people to Central Asia. The action began with the reading of poems related to the deportation. Public and religious figures appeared in the ceremony. On the other hand, the non-governmental civic organizations of the republic published a joint statement. They have condemned the action in 1944 and asked everyone to remember those tragic times.

Norway: members of the Chechen-Ingush Diaspora held a demonstration in front of the Norwegian Parliament. The participants spoke of the deportation of the entire Chechen-Ingush nation in 1944, and they also condemned the recent mass extradition of Chechen asylum seekers from Norway.

Poland: Chechen asylum seekers organized a commemoration at the Dębak refugee center. The mufti of Poland was among the guests. The participants prayed together and condemned the ongoing ferocious Russian policy against Chechen people, which has lasted for centuries.

Sweden: The Swedish-Chechen Committee organized a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Stockholm. The action was supported by refugees from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Uzbekistan and other former USSR republics. Many people came from neighboring Norway and Finland to participate in the event.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco