Participants in action in Nalchik tell stories of repressed people

Activists in Nalchik have commemorated victims of political repressions by recalling the fates of their family members who were repressed during the Soviet years.

According to Marx Shakhmurzov, the chairman of the Association of Victims of Political Repressions in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), most people honour the memory of victims of political repressions within their families. "We have the largest number of repression victims in Northern Caucasus," he has noted.

Khachim, one of the activists who took part in the commemoration, has explained why it is important to always remember these events. "Repressions didn't affect my family, but we always remember this tragedy on this day, because we believe it important not to forget the victims. As long as we remember them, there is confidence that this will not happen again," he said.

Timur, another activist, said that his grandfather was sent to Kyrgyzstan when he was only 12. "Every time he remembers those terrible days, he can't hide his tears. It's a miracle that he survived," the man said.

It is necessary to preserve this memory as a warning that there is no justification for terror, another participant in the action believes. "My great-grandfather was repressed and lost the best years of his life. Fortunately, he returned, but he lost his health there, both physically and mentally," said Zaurbek Abazov.

Martin Kochesoko*, an activist, also believes that it is important to commemorate repression victims. "In the KBR, thousands of people fell victim to repressions in the Soviet period, mostly intelligentsia, most politically active and thinking people," he has stated.

In his opinion, it is very important to preserve the memory of these events because of what is happening now in Russia.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.