Circassia will be a Cornerstone in a Prosperous North Caucasus
Adel Bashqawi
November 8, 2023
The European Parliament, Brussels.
It’s not a secret that Circassians, whether the 10% who are still in their precious homeland in the North Caucasus under Russian rule since the odious occupation of 1864 or those other 90% who are spread out in a diaspora that consists of dozens of countries believe in the fact that “human being is free from cradle to grave.” The rights will not be restored and/or straightened before achieving freedom and independence of Circassia, according to the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” within its borders at the time of the Russian invasion and conquest. [1]
I have no doubt that everyone in this blessed gathering at the European Parliament will support Circassians yearn to regain their legitimate rights guaranteed by international laws and norms.
The overwhelming majority of Circassians, who feel the pressure and obstacles of the Russian government and the governments of the countries in which they reside in, aspire to restore their legitimate rights, which are not subject to statute of limitations.
Recognizing the Circassian Genocide
The Circassians’ real issue is the recognition of the Circassian Genocide. Accordingly, the Russian state is obliged to:
• Apologize to the Circassian people.
• Pay appropriate compensation.
• Give way to apply the Right of Return with International protection.
• The Right to Self-determination.
In this legislative edifice, I would like to refer to a title I used five years ago in a Circassian conference in Europe, regarding the necessity of opening the European window on what really happened in the past and what should happen in the present and future. The title of the lecture was: “Europe’s Moral Role to Restore Circassian Legitimate Rights.” [2]
Union is Strength
Peoples and nations of the North Caucasus deserve to be freed from the restrictions imposed by the Russian state on their homelands and their freedom to choose their own destiny. They are fed up with being nominally federal subjects, without their prior consent. Thus this style of forced unification without consulting the stakeholders will neither be feasible nor acceptable on the ground.
Getting rid of Russian hegemony will benefit everyone, and will pave the way for them to choose the nature of future participation in a unity, after these peoples gain their freedom, independence, and right to self-determination, after a decision is made through appropriate referendums. Otherwise, putting the cart before the horse will not be advisable.
Following the rules will lead to a situation that allows consent to establish a kind of unity between the peoples and nations of the Caucasus similar to the European Union, which could develop in the future to a Pan-Caucasus entity with the consent of the peoples.
Peoples of the North Caucasus are not ghosts, but citizens deprived of their will and rights in their original homelands. They are human beings that belong to indigenous peoples and nations, rooted in their original homelands for thousands of years. Although the divide and rule policy is imposed on members of the same people and/or between different peoples, this policy only succeeded with relatively few individuals.
Thus, legitimate rights will not be restored without the peoples and nations of the North Caucasus obtaining the right to self-determination, without any ambiguity or delay. “Self-determination has two aspects, internal and external. Internal self-determination is the right of the people of a state to govern themselves without outside interference. External self-determination is the right of peoples to determine their own political status and to be free of alien domination, including formation of their own independent state.” [3]
Speaking of which
The following is borrowed from my article published in April 2023 regarding “legitimate Circassian demands [4] 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. Circassians demand “Peace, Dignity and Equality in accordance with the basic rights of citizens that must be in line with”:
• The Declaration of Circassian Independence [5]
• United Nations Charter [6]
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights [7]
• International Law and Justice [8]
• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide [9]
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples [10]
• The Declaration on Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples [11]
• UNESCO Language Rights as an Integral Part of Human Rights [12]
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [13]
• Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union [14]
The Ukrainian Lesson
The Russian waged war in Ukraine since February 2022, expresses a relentless, devastating and heartless sweeping invasion against the independent and sovereign country of Ukraine. The Crimean Peninsula was occupied and annexed in 2014. Russian adventures that took place since Ivan the Terrible to the present, their goal was and still is to occupy the homelands of neighbors and beyond, annex them, and even annihilate their peoples.
Victims of peoples and nations who were targeted by the successive Russian fascist regimes’ wars and aggressions in the past, specifically in the 19th century, understood and comprehended what the expansionists are after. Thanks God, Ukraine with the support of its friends was able to absorb, obstruct and even repel Russian forces at the gates of Europe.
Conclusion
It is suggested that this conference of the North Caucasus must declare that the North and Western Caucasus and the Black Sea region are in the European continent, and that Russia should be excluded from this area. The North and Western Caucasus see that the region is in the European Zone, and its future lies within Europe.
References
[1] https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
[2] https://justicefornorthcaucasus.info/?p=1251679637
[3] https://pesd.princeton.edu/node/511
[4] https://justicefornorthcaucasus.info/?p=1251684467
[5] Appendices, Circassia: Born to be free, Adel Bashqawi
[6] https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text
[7] https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
[9] http://www.preventgenocide.org/law/convention/text.htm
[11] https://legal.un.org/avl/pdf/ha/dicc/dicc_ph_e.pdf
[12] https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000143762
[14] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/charter/pdf/text_en.pdf
