Circassian Activists Toughen Rhetoric Regarding Putin Regime
Valery Dzutsev
5 January 2015
On December 16, Circassian activists issued a special statement in support of their colleagues persecuted by the Russian authorities in the North Caucasus. The appeal, signed by 65 politicians, writers, civil activists, businessmen and academicians from Turkey, Germany, the United States and several other countries, called on human rights organizations worldwide “to save the oppressed people from the clutches of oppression and tyranny” of Putin’s Russia. It accused the Russian authorities of launching a campaign of intimidation and persecution against Circassian activists in the North Caucasus. In particular, the statement focused on the travails of Circassian activist Andzor Akhokhov. The activist was arrested along with scores of others who peacefully protested the Winter Olympics in Sochi on the day it opened, February 7, 2014, and he was tortured while in police custody. The signatories of the document supported the attempts by Circassian activists in the North Caucasus “to inform Russia and the world that the Circassian question still needs to be resolved to restore the legitimate rights to their respective owners in accordance with international laws and norms” (Cherkessia.net, December 16, 2014). Read more
