Akkin Chechens blame Dagestani authorities for obstructing their rehabilitation

Authorities of Dagestan are unwilling to address the issue of restoring the Aukh District; while the programme adopted in the republic supports only the technical part for the resettlement of the Laks, activists from among Akkin Chechens assert. Journalists argue about the possibility of Chechnya's claims to the Aukh District in the future.

On February 15, 2020, the city of Khasavyurt hosted the 11th Congress of Dagestani Chechens, dedicated to the restoration of the Aukh District. On February 23, in the Novolaksky District, at least 10,000 people gathered to commemorate victims of Stalinist repressions; and the restoration of the Aukh District was the key topic of speeches.

This year, authorities pay close attention to mourning events, Sultan Kasimov, the chairman of the "New Vainakh Generation" youth organization and a member of the Aukh Public Council, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to Khanpasha Sultanbiev, the chairman of the NGO "Aukh", after the above February 15 congress, policemen brought warnings to activists' homes.

The programme for the restoration of the Aukh District, adopted in 2017, aims to solve the technical and construction tasks of resettling the Lak population, said Eduard Urazaev, a political analyst.

In the context of the Aukh District, now the point is to restore it as a part of Dagestan, but the issue of Chechen territorial claims against Dagestan is not ruled out in the future, Milrad Fatullaev, the editor-in-chief of the RIA "Derbent", believes.