circassia

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circassia

Circassian activist Martin Kochesoko charged again

by OC Media

•3 min read

Activist and head of the Circassian rights group Khabze has been charged with drug possession, after a previous charge was withdrawn pending further investigation. The new indictment was brought against Kochesoko on 20 February. In June 2019, Martin Kochesoko was detained along with two other social activists from the Khabze in the Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. Police report that they found a package of drugs in the car the three activists were travelling in. The two others w

Russian Ambassador to Turkey Aleksey Yerkhov. Image via Belrynokby.

1763–1864 Russo–Circassian War

Russian ambassador to Turkey provokes anger over Circassian conquest comments

by OC Media

•4 min read

Russia’s ambassador to Turkey has caused outrage among Circassian groups after suggesting that the late 19th-century conquest of historic Circassia and subsequent genocide was a ‘beautiful legend’ which was, in reality, a defensive act on the part of the Russian Empire. Ambassador Aleksey Yerkhov was speaking in an interview with Russian state-owned news site Sputnik on 13 February about the prospects for Russian-Turkish relations. He said that the understanding of the 1763–1864 Russo–Circa

circassia

Voice | ‘Help comes from those who themselves need help’

by Volodymyr Soboliev

•5 min read

Circassian woman Shaziya Nukh is 86 years old. In 2011, she fled the Syrian conflict to Kabardino-Balkaria, the homeland of her ancestors. Almost all of her relatives died during the bombing of Aleppo. Shaziya has no income and no housing. ‘I obtained a residence permit in Russia in 2016 and now have to wait for citizenship for at least another six years — and it’s a big question whether they grant it to me or not. But, even if they do, what will happen after? I will still have no job, and

circassia

Five acquitted in Karachay-Cherkessia over photo in support of Kochesoko

by OC Media

•3 min read

On 25 November, a court in Cherkessk, the capital of Russian republic of Karachay–Cherkessia, acquitted five people accused of staging an illegal protest. Aslan Pseunov, Zurab Pseunov, Zuleta Pseunova, Amerbi Khashpakov, and Marina Fizikova posed for a photo on the square in front of the Government House of Karachay–Cherkessia with posters reading ‘I/We are Martin Kochesoko’ on 16 June. Pseunova told OC Media that the photo was taken to post on Instagram to support arrested Circassian

circassia

Trial begins in Kabardino-Balkaria over ‘extremism’ in Balkar newspaper

by OC Media

•4 min read

A court in the Russian Republic of Kabardino–Balkaria has begun hearing extremism charges against a Balkar newspaper over an article about ethnic clashes between Kabardians and Balkars. The Nalchik City Court in the republic’s capital began hearing the case on 5 September. The article, entitled ‘On the 10th anniversary of the Kyondelen confrontation’, appeared in Vestnik Balkarskogo Naroda (‘bulletin of the Balkar people’) in September 2018 and was written by Anatoliy Alafayev, a doctor o

circassia

Circassian activist Martin Kochesoko released on bail as defence claims rigged witness testimonies

by OC Media

•4 min read

On 23 August, the Supreme Court of the Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria released Martin Kochesoko, who has been under house arrest, on bail. His defence insists that drugs were planted on him and witnesses gave false testimonies. At the bail hearing on 23 August, Timur Khutov, one of Kochesoko’s lawyers, argued that the case was political. According to Khutov, Kochesoko was placed under house arrest ‘not because he allegedly possessed drugs, but because the police officers plante

circassia

Circassian activist Martin Kochesoko transferred to house arrest

by OC Media

•5 min read

The Supreme Court of the Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria has released Circassian activist Martin Kochesoko into house arrest, satisfying an application by his defence team. Kochesoko, the leader of Circassian youth group Khabze, was arrested on the 7 June on cannabis possession charges. The day after his detention, the offices of Khabze were raided by police and all their computers seized. Kochesoko and his lawyers insist the charges against him were fabricated by the authorities a