Chechnya: anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov's funeral failed to become national mourning day

The Mourning and Grief Day of Chechen nations, which is officially celebrated on Akhmat Kadyrov's funeral day, is ignored by residents of the republic.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Mourning and Grief Day of Republic's Peoples is marked in Chechnya on May 10. This date was set by Ramzan Kadyrov in 2011 as an alternative to the mourning for victims of Stalin's deportation. Despite the authorities' efforts, most residents of Chechnya continue treating February 23, the starting day of deportation of Chechens and Ingushes in 1944, as the Mourning Day.

During the day of May 10, prayers were held in republic's mosques in memory of victims of wars and deportations, and religious rites – the Mavlid and Zikr. Districts and certain agencies of Chechnya held sacrifices with distribution of meat of sacrificial animals to the poor and the families of perished law enforcers, the office of the republic's head and the government told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Residents of Chechnya agree that in the republic, the Day of Mourning and Grief is now just the mourning day for the former head of Chechnya, Akhmat Kadyrov, who died on May 9, 2004, as a result of a terror act in Grozny. However, this date has never taken root as the day of mourning for the victims of Stalin's deportations.

"For any Chechen, whose grandfathers or great-grandfathers suffered from the deportation, February 23 was, is and will always be the day of one of the most terrible tragedies. This is comparable only with the deaths of relatives and friends during the two military campaigns that took place here," Lechi, a resident of Chechnya, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Islam, another local resident, agrees with him: "February 23 is a date that cannot be erased from history or from our hearts, no matter how hard someone tries. The today's date [May 10] is actually a mourning day for one person, Akhmat Kadyrov," he told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 11, 2019 at 00:09 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.