Circassian Prospects in 2015
By: Adel Bashqawi
2, January, 2015
The new year is another phase of Circassians’ march towards demanding their confiscated rights, which doesn’t afford anymore neglect, procrastination or postponement that had been the manner for most of the time since the end of the Russian-Circassian War until now.
Circassia was plagued by the Russian consecutive regimes’ fascist policies since imperial Russia had actually committed its savage military invasion, resulted in deleting the country of Circassia from the map of the Caucasus region. When Circassians seek to assert and restore their legitimate rights, then the address of the oppressor and occupier is well-known to everyone, its the successor of the Russian Empire, the “Russian Federation”.
Russia has framed itself to be the only enemy in this world for Circassians, as the tyrant Russian policies are still implemented against them to the extent of denying Circassians to repatriate to their homeland. It is proven beyond any doubt that if anyone to be blamed, its obviously the Russian stubborn conduct (http://justicefornorthcaucasus.info/?p=1251673707).
Circassians need genuine friends. Normally, “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, so Circassians need sincere people to offer them advice، expertise and support, while they are seeking to secure their future and to get recognition for the genocide that they had suffered and still.
Focus should be on demanding the right of self-determination and the legal rules to this principle, by following peaceful legal procedures in a civilized and nonviolent manner, that reflects applying the International Law by the United Nations’ Covenant and the resolutions of the international community. Justice for mankind must be achieved in accordance with the International Law (http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/internationallaw/) and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/), which falls under: “Rights are no statute of limitations”.
A researcher performed: a “study dealt with the emergence of Self-Determination definitions and its historical development. The researcher has attempted to prove self-determination as a political principle since 1918, that is, during the American president, Wilson, reign, and then developed into a law precept with the establishment of the United Nations. Further, self-determination in the United Nations Charter was addressed where the victorious states’ negligence of the peoples’ right to self-determination was confirmed. Next, I made clear self-determination right in the international resolutions where it was well showed that this right is an absolute one to all ravished nations without distinguishing between the ethnicities” (http://www.qou.edu/arabic/researchProgram/researchersPages/abdulNasserFarra/self_determination.pdf).
The indigenous Circassian nation, should draw the attention to the plight of one of the ancient nations of South-eastern Europe located in the North Caucasus which was subject to the Russian invasion that consequently destroyed and annexed the entire homeland, committed atrocities to the degree of genocide & ethnic cleansing, destroyed the culture and language, eliminated half of the population, and deported 90% of the remaining inhabitants by rickety ships, mainly through the Port of Sochi where the Winter Olympic Games had taken place in February of last year, which coincided with the 150th year commemoration of the Circassian Genocide, to the Ottoman Empire across the Black Sea. The descendants of the exiled people are living nowadays with no homeland mainly in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the United States, and in more than 30 countries of the world.
The City of Sochi, which was the last Circassian capital city (until 21st of May, 1864), witnessed parading the invading victorious troops, where the Circassians had to bear the consequences of the above mentioned results, will be hosting “2018 FIFA World Cup matches in the city”. “The undisturbed forests surrounding the city are a UNESCO World Heritage site” (http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/russia2018/destination/cities/city=35268/ and http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2014/12/window-on-eurasia-sochi-olympiad.html).
The Circassian nation nowadays, with a population of approximately 6 million people around the world is denied its rights in accordance with UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf) is seeking to explain to the world, the circumstances that pertain to the sufferings and dilemma of being scattered around the world; even the 10% of Circassians who are still living at homeland in the North Caucasus under Russian occupation and acquisition, they still exist administratively divided in three different autonomous republics and three other enclaves.
Its worth mentioning that Circassians’ nonviolent and legal activities have lead to holding events, conferences and activities in recent years at Jamestown Foundation, Harvard University, William Paterson University, Tbilisi, Anaklia, the European Parliament and other places, which were attended and participated by well-known experts, analysts and scholars such as Glen Howard, Paul Goble, Walter Richmond from USA, Oliver Bullough from the UK, John Colarusso and Matthew Light from Canada, Merabi Chukhua from Georgia, Lars Funch Hansen from Denmark, and others from other parts of the world, together in the presence and contribution of both Diaspora and Homeland Circassians, which the situation calls that more events should be held in order to put the Circassian Question in its proper place as a pressing issue.
Our intention is to achieve attracting the attention of the civilized world, asserting justice, human rights, and dignity for all peoples alike. The successive Russian regimes followed the same suppressive policies of consolidating annexation and oppressing the Circassian people, but we hope that Circassians will take this issue more seriously, and follow anything possible to achieve their goals.
“It is better to die on your feet, than live on your knees.”
