The Commemoration of Circassian Occasions

The Commemoration of Circassian Occasions

Adel Bashqawi

April 25, 2023

It is appropriate to address the imperial and colonial policies with regard to what happened with the Circassian nation and other targeted peoples and nations, by connecting the dots to each other, defining them and setting the record straight. The Russian Empire and its evil military hordes violated and plundered the homelands of non-Russian peoples and nations. They aimed at weakening them since they were invaded, occupied, annihilated and subsequently annexed to the Russian Empire unjustly. Thus control, exploit and abuse homelands, destinies and human rights, by force of arms and coercion.

The imperial and colonial policies are only enforcing and implementing the blueprints that were drawn and projected, then implemented, when this rogue empire decided to take over the homelands of its neighbors and beyond with iron and fire fist. Thus ignored the targeted peoples, and even trampled on the individuals’ and national rights. Changes occurred in the midst of applying the policy of acquisition, associated with polarization and the contradictions that accompanied the colonial strife in light of the conflicts of interests and/or understandings with other colonial countries.

After the occupation, they immediately introduced Russian administrative changes in the occupied regions, thus creating main and sub-administrative divisions. They even gave exotic names and titles to these areas. Systematic trampling on the fundamental and inalienable individuals’ and national rights, have contributed to crush the rights of non-Russian peoples and nations. All that was left to the preferences and whims of the Russian military Generals and Commanders, enforcing and implementing divisions and changes in the administrative and geographical status.

The Circassian Flag Day

The twenty-fifth of April every year marks the Circassian Flag Day. The Circassian flag is one of the fundamental elements of the Circassian national identity. In addition, culture, language, customs, heritage, traditions, civilizational legacy, common aspirations and sense of belonging to the ancestral homeland.

The Circassian flag was adopted after a Circassian conference was held in Psefabe Valley in 1836 with the participation of representatives of the Circassian tribes, during the Russian-Circassian War. The flag is considered a modern concept for all Circassians in light of the presence of only 10% of the Circassian nation in their historical Circassian homeland, divided and distributed in several artificial administrative regions. While, 90% of them, which are approximately seven million people distributed in a wide diaspora locations that included dozens of countries of the world according to a colonial plan that was prepared and implemented since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. All this to get rid of the Circassian nation and to seize Circassia without its Circassian people. Russia planned to annihilate those Circassian tribes that have been residing since ancient times along the shore of the Black Sea. Thereafter, they were replaced by alien Russian settlers and their mercenaries, from different origins.

Remarking Memorial Day

The twenty-first of May, since 1864, happened to be the day of commemoration of the extermination and deportation of 90% of the Circassian nation to a permanent forced exile. According to this reality, not being able to restore the right of self-determination until this date, does not constitute acceptance of the fate accompli to the Circassian nation in any way. Rather, it motivates those with determination to demand the restoration of their inalienable rights, no matter how difficult or how long it takes.

It’s favorable in this scope to borrow Hamlet’s monologue expression in one of Alfred Hitchcock’s ingenuities that stated: “to be or not to be.” It necessarily applies to the Circassian example that can be put as: ‘to be or not to be a dignified nation’. The Russian state tried in all occasions, up to now, to dwarf, tear apart and even completely exterminate this brave nation at whatever cost without success. Whilst, all evil efforts did not succeed. Thus, it was parallel to the divine miracle that proves the authenticity of this indigenous nation that survived a Russian deliberate and predetermined extermination.

Despite all the heavy losses in lives and resources as well as the valuable homeland during the devastating war, the unwavering vision is still focused on self-preservation and protecting the national identity, the way the Circassians’ ancestors were determined to defend their country. The door is wide open to their promising national future. Circassians are still in the process of restoring their legitimate rights, despite the continuation of the exclusionary and frivolous projects as well as the inhumane and oppressive policies that they have confronted for long now and they still are.

The Core of Oppression

In dealing with the press and human rights activists, the news received through the media and social media reflect what is actually happening in regard to the clumsy behavior of the active authorities to be, against the Circassian citizens in their fragmented homeland and their confrontation of tendentious and unfair rulings. What is happening in the Circassian part of the North Caucasus, highlights the suffering of Circassian citizens under the racist, discriminatory and unjust laws of local and central authorities.

This indicates implementing serious verdicts, court rulings that could be abused by the authorities, and politicized decisions. That would express the venomous hatred against everyone who tries to express their own opinion and criticizes the tendency to engage in war with a neighboring country such as Ukraine. There are catastrophic repercussions on everyone who was involved in igniting this devastating war that has negative consequences for Russia itself.

The Legitimate Circassian Demands

Circassians do not demand more than what is reasonable. What they focus on at the present time is a portion of their legitimate rights that do not fall under the statute of limitations, according to international laws and norms. This falls under painful and illogical reality, in the face of unparalleled colonial stubbornness of ignoring the responsibility to return rights to their rightful owners. The conscientious people and enlightened Circassian activists in their homeland and in the wide global diaspora have no impossible demands that cannot be fulfilled; It’s quite the contrary.

The majority of the Circassian public opinion demands:

— Free Circassia now,

— Recognize the Circassian Genocide,

— The Right of Return of the Circassians to Circassia.

This corresponds to achieving Peace, Dignity and Equality in accordance with the basic rights of citizens that must be in line with:

• The Declaration of Circassian Independence [1]

• United Nations Charter [2]

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights [3]

• International Law and Justice [4]

• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide [5]

• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [6]

• The Declaration on Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples [7]