The Day of Memory and Mourning of the peoples of the republic established in Chechnya

The Day of Memory and Mourning of the residents of the republic will be established on May, 10, from now on in Chechnya. This was the decision taken by Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyhrov after his meeting with members of the organizing committee formed upon his instruction on April, 10. February, 23, and May, 9, which had formerly been mourning days in the republic will now become holidays as they are in the whole Russia. Local observers have a critical attitude towards this decision considering that such innovations will continue the course of establishing and strengthening cult of personality in Chechnya. 

"The Chechens must celebrate May, 9, and February, 23, like all the residents of Russia"

From now on religious ceremonies will be celebrated all over Chechnya on May, 10, in memory of all those who perished in the republic. A special organizing committee in which famous scientists, representatives of intelligentsia, public and political figures took part was headed by Dukvakh Abdurahmanov, Speaker of the republican Parliament. 

"There have been a lot of tragic days in the history of our people. There was Stalin's deportation of the Chechen people on February, 23, 1944, burned down residents of the village of Khaibakh, thousand hundreds of peaceful citizens who perished in the territory of the republic during the first and second military campaigns, a tragic death of our first President Ahmat-khaji Kadyrov on May, 9, 2004. All these are tragic dates in the history of the Chechen people but I would not like them to fall on the nationwide Russian holidays", Head of Chechnya Ramzan Radyrov declared on April, 9, at his meeting with the members of the organizing committee. 

According to him, that had been the purpose of creation of the committee which would decide on what day in the republican calendar would symbolize all the dramatic events in the history of the republic and become the Day of Memory and Mourning over the victims.

Dukvakh Abdurahmanov reminded that on May, 10, the late Head of the republic Ahmat Kadyrov who perished "at the traitors' hands defending integrity of Russia and the right of the peoples of the Chechen Republic for peaceful and fair life" was buried. Abdurahmanov also emphasized that the Chechens had to celebrate May, 9, and February, 23, "like all the Russian citizens".

"The innovations will not make the Chechens forget the tragedy of 1944"

The leader of one of the local non-governmental organizations considers that May, 10, as a republic's Day of Memory and Mourning over the victims is connected with Ahmat Kadyrov's death only and has nothing to do with either Stalin's deportation of 1944 or the tragedies of the first and second military campaigns in the republic.

"Our authorities have just once again used the tragedy of the Chechen and other peoples of our republic to realize some of their interests and ambitions. It is nothing else but development of the course of establishing and strengthening the cult of particular personalities which we have been observing during several latest years", our interlocutor said to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot". 

Another representative of the community considers the intention of Chechen authorities to substitute the dates tragic for our peoples for celebrations on the same days which have always been mourning days for the Chechens wrong and unacceptable. 

"February, 23, has always been and is still one of the most tragic days in the history of our people. It is immoral and inhuman to demand from the Chechens to celebrate this date as the Day of Defenders of Fatherland as they do in other regions of the country. To my mind, establishing the republican Day of Memory and Mourning on May, 10, is the same sort of falsification of our history as provocative publications on Chechen history appearing in some of Russian mass media from time to time. I do not think this innovation will make our people forget our past and our common national tragedy of 1944", our interlocutor says.  

It should be reminded that the Day of Memory and Mourning had formerly been celebrated on February, 23, on the anniversary day of Stalin's deportation of the Chechens in 1944. The respective decree was signed by Head of the republic in 2010.