Ingush residents pay tribute to victims of deportation

Residents of Ingushetia have marked the 72nd anniversary of the deportation of the Chechen and Ingush peoples by a rally and a collective memorial prayer at the Memorial of Fame in Nazran.

Several hundred people came to the event. The rally was attended by Ingush leader Yunus-Bek Evkurov, Mukharbek Dikazhev, Chairman of the National Assembly, MPs, and public and religious figures, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The people affected by the repression and their descendants also came to the square. The citizens noted that the deportation of 1944 was an unjustified crime against the exiled peoples. The people prayed to pay tribute to the victims of the deportation. After the collective prayer, Yunus-Bek Evkurov delivered a speech, in which he condemned the deportation of the Chechen and Ingush peoples and emphasized their heroism during the World War II.

Mukharbek Dikazhev has reminded the audience that in total, 91,250 Ingush people and 387,229 Chechens were deported.

The charitable organization "Tesham" has prepared food and drinks for visitors of the Memorial of Fame. The organization's leader Khasan Nalgiev has emphasized that the tragic date should unite people.

It should be noted that for the third year, Chechnya holds no commemorative events on the date. Chechnya used to mark the Day of Memory and Sorrow on February 23, on the date of the beginning of the deportation of Chechen people; however, in 2011, the day was rescheduled for May 10.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.