Resident of Kabardino-Balkaria calls on to ban glorification of Stalin

Oleg Kelemetov, a resident of Nalchik, has filed an appeal to the parliaments of the republics of Northern Caucasus with a call to adopt a law prohibiting the glorification of Joseph Stalin and other persons involved in mass deportations during the World War II, as well as the installation of monuments to them.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Oleg Kelemetov requested the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) to check the decisions made by Joseph Stalin, Lavrenty Beria, and other members of the USSR State Defence Committee for violations of the law. The resident of Nalchik emphasized that the reason for the deportation of the peoples of the Caucasus in 1944 was their ethnicity, although the Constitution of the USSR guaranteed equality of all people.

“In the period from December 28, 1943 to May 20, 1944, hundreds of thousands of USSR citizens were forcibly evicted, including Kalmyks, Chechens, Ingushes, Karachais, Balkars, and Crimean Tatars,” Oleg Kelemetov wrote.

In his appeal, the resident of Nalchik emphasizes that no one publicly disputes the injustice of the deportations. However, in many regions, “in fact, the cult of those responsible for the deaths of our relatives is being revived.” “In many regions, monuments to Joseph Stalin are being erected ... with the obvious connivance, or even patronage, of local authorities. Each such case, if not offends, then obviously neglects the feelings of representatives of repressed peoples,” Oleg Kelemetov noted.

“The top three regions in terms of the number of settlements with Joseph Stalin monuments include North Ossetia, Dagestan, and Yakutia,” Oleg Kelemetov emphasized in his appeal.