Memorial and Protest: 145th Anniversary of the Circassian Genocide
NEW YORK, May 22, 2009 — The Circassian Cultural Institute issued the following statement today to commemorate the 145th anniversary of the Circassian Genocide:
On Thursday the 21st of May, we commemorate the 145th Anniversary of the Circassian Genocide and pay tribute to the victims and survivors. Their focus for the observance will be to Free Circassia Now, the recognition of the Circassian Genocide and to stop the Sochi Olympic Games. We know from their testimony and historical records that the Circassian genocide was conceived and carried out by Czarist Russia during the invasion of Circassia and culminating in 1864 with 90 percent of the nation annihilated.
| It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Circassian men, women and children were killed, and more than one million others were expelled from their homeland. International observers and diplomats watched a nightmare unfurl and provided detailed accounts about “a campaign of race extermination.” It is long past time to formally recognize the Circassian Genocide. If we ignore history, then we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. The genocides in Rwanda and Darfur remind us that we must do more to prevent this from ever happening again. On this anniversary, we must remember the victims and survivors of the Circassian Genocide. The persecution from the past continues to plague the current Circassian population under the control and enforcement by the Russian Federation to this very day. We must provide the leadership to ensure that this human tragedy is not repeated. |  |
As the Winter Olympics in Sochi approaches, we must remind the world that Circassian blood spilled in Sochi was a systematic attempt to eradicate the Circassian people. An international celebration of the Olympic Games on this holy ground will be viewed as an atrocity by the millions of Circassian around the world and the many thousands of scholars that are currently working on shedding light on this hidden secret of human tragedy.
The Circassian Cultural Institute - C.C.I.
555 Preakness Avenue
Totowa, New Jersey
1-908-295-2957
http://www.circassianculturalinstitute.org/
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