"A War of Words over Russian". By Erika Niedowski. 12 May 2007. Baltimore Sun.
Erika Niedowski reports that conflict has occured regarding the official language of the former Soviet Union country Estonia. The majority of Estonians speak Russian, yet Estonian the official state language. Schools are pushed to teach in Estonian, although most teachers and students are not proficient in the language. Knowledge of Estonian is required in some governement jobs as well. Many ethnic Russians in Estonia beleive the current policy is discriminatory and unfair. Other former Soviet Union countries are facing similar issues as well. The author writes that the language of the people is an important aspect of their culture.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
News Summary
“Racism in Russia Overshadows WWII Remembrance” Vladivostok News. 4 May 2007. By Georgia J. Michlig.
Georgia Michlig reports on the dark shadow cast on the festivities commemorating Russian victory in World War II. While Russians celebrate the victory of the Nazis, Neo-Nazis and other extremists groups continue to attack minorities. Michlig reports that a local university urged students to stay indoors the week of April 20 to deter attacks. However, this did not stop extremists from assaulting a minority student. The article discusses numerous attacks on minority students; Asia, Muslim, and African; in recent months. Minorities interviewed expressed little hope of assimilating in Russia.
Georgia Michlig reports on the dark shadow cast on the festivities commemorating Russian victory in World War II. While Russians celebrate the victory of the Nazis, Neo-Nazis and other extremists groups continue to attack minorities. Michlig reports that a local university urged students to stay indoors the week of April 20 to deter attacks. However, this did not stop extremists from assaulting a minority student. The article discusses numerous attacks on minority students; Asia, Muslim, and African; in recent months. Minorities interviewed expressed little hope of assimilating in Russia.
The Genocide of the Circassian People
Genocide, one of the dominating issues of today’s international community, has unfortunately been an all too often occurrence throughout the history of Russia. Many of these genocides are not well known, or even known about at all, but few have catapulted into international fame, such as the incident in Chechnya. In fact, different sources can hardly agree on the definition of genocide, let alone whether or not it occurred in a given area. This makes the topic of genocide in Russia one not only of great importance, but also one which needs to be explored. In this essay I will explore the who, where, and why of a lesser known genocide in Russia, the genocide of the Circassian people.
The first topic which must be discussed when looking at a possible genocide is who is involved in the killing, and even more importantly, who is being killed. In this case it was the Circassian’s, a group of people numbering around 1.5 million, divided into ten tribes, and united under a democratic sentiment. Compared to their neighbors the Circassians were especially liberal, giving many more rights to their women, and allowing all religions to be worshiped freely. Much like the more recent incident in Chechnya, the Circassians attempted to declare independence from the whole of Russia, and just as the Chechens did, the Circassians found that mother Russia was not willing to let them go.
After fighting for more than forty years in international courts over their independence, the Circassians saw no end to their fight for independence and took the next step by declaring their independence in the courts of Europe. “But now we hear to our deepest humiliation, that our land counts as a part of the Russian empire on all maps published in Europe... that Russia, finally, declares in the West, that Circassians are their slaves, horrible bandits...” said a representative of the Circassians people in their historic attempt to remove the yolk of their overbearing motherland. A little more than two years after their appearance in the European courts, the Circassians finally instituted a unified government in Sochi, and acting in the only way they know how the Russians “began the final invasion, annihilation and expulsion” of the Circassian people. Now in Russia, there are only just over 200,000 Circassian’s, meaning over 1.3 million people, over 87% of the Circassian population, were either killed or deported during the onslaught. The events that transpired were most certainly wrong, and unsupported by the feeble excuses the Russian government offered their people, who cited “imperial ambitions” and “strategic interests” as their reasons for the slaughter.
Just like with any possible genocide, it is impossible to fully grasp the true scale and meaning of the issue, but when dealing with genocide’s that have been forgotten, all we can hope to do is remember those who died. Russia’s people have suffered through a history filled with genocide, and mass murder, at the hands of ruthless autocrats. It is this history that we must remember, to prevent atrocities like the Circassian genocide from happening again.
For more information of this topic visit-
http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=1639
www.circassianworld.com/circassiangenocide.html
www.cc.jyu.fi/~aphamala/pe/issue2/circass.htm
The first topic which must be discussed when looking at a possible genocide is who is involved in the killing, and even more importantly, who is being killed. In this case it was the Circassian’s, a group of people numbering around 1.5 million, divided into ten tribes, and united under a democratic sentiment. Compared to their neighbors the Circassians were especially liberal, giving many more rights to their women, and allowing all religions to be worshiped freely. Much like the more recent incident in Chechnya, the Circassians attempted to declare independence from the whole of Russia, and just as the Chechens did, the Circassians found that mother Russia was not willing to let them go.
After fighting for more than forty years in international courts over their independence, the Circassians saw no end to their fight for independence and took the next step by declaring their independence in the courts of Europe. “But now we hear to our deepest humiliation, that our land counts as a part of the Russian empire on all maps published in Europe... that Russia, finally, declares in the West, that Circassians are their slaves, horrible bandits...” said a representative of the Circassians people in their historic attempt to remove the yolk of their overbearing motherland. A little more than two years after their appearance in the European courts, the Circassians finally instituted a unified government in Sochi, and acting in the only way they know how the Russians “began the final invasion, annihilation and expulsion” of the Circassian people. Now in Russia, there are only just over 200,000 Circassian’s, meaning over 1.3 million people, over 87% of the Circassian population, were either killed or deported during the onslaught. The events that transpired were most certainly wrong, and unsupported by the feeble excuses the Russian government offered their people, who cited “imperial ambitions” and “strategic interests” as their reasons for the slaughter.
Just like with any possible genocide, it is impossible to fully grasp the true scale and meaning of the issue, but when dealing with genocide’s that have been forgotten, all we can hope to do is remember those who died. Russia’s people have suffered through a history filled with genocide, and mass murder, at the hands of ruthless autocrats. It is this history that we must remember, to prevent atrocities like the Circassian genocide from happening again.
For more information of this topic visit-
http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=1639
www.circassianworld.com/circassiangenocide.html
www.cc.jyu.fi/~aphamala/pe/issue2/circass.htm
Monday, April 30, 2007
News Summary
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/10.19/15-russia
“Ethnic Violence in Russia Rises” by Corydon Ireland. Harvard News Office 19 October 2006.
Corydon Ireland reports on a visit by Nickolai Butkevich to the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. Butkevich is the advocacy director of the Union of Coucil for Jews in the Former Soviet Union. He spoke to professors and graduate students on the issue of racial and ethnic hate crimes in Russia. The article reports on Butkevich’s presentation and the reaction of the audience. Butkevich argued that poor ethnic Russians are frustrated with the rise of immigrants and are taking out their anger on minorities. Ireland also reports that the audience questioned the validity of Butkevich’s statistics.
“Ethnic Violence in Russia Rises” by Corydon Ireland. Harvard News Office 19 October 2006.
Corydon Ireland reports on a visit by Nickolai Butkevich to the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. Butkevich is the advocacy director of the Union of Coucil for Jews in the Former Soviet Union. He spoke to professors and graduate students on the issue of racial and ethnic hate crimes in Russia. The article reports on Butkevich’s presentation and the reaction of the audience. Butkevich argued that poor ethnic Russians are frustrated with the rise of immigrants and are taking out their anger on minorities. Ireland also reports that the audience questioned the validity of Butkevich’s statistics.
The Circassian Genocide
The genocide committed against the Circassian nation in the 1800s is seldom spoken of. History seems to have forgotten about this awful chapter in Russian history, as the Jewish Genocide during World War II is much better known. The Circassians were a semi-nomadic culture separated into tribes. The small nation had been at war with Russia for 40 years when their courts appealed the higher powers for independence. The Russian nation felt embarrassed about this action as they regarded the Circassians as their slaves. The ensuing genocide was the worst in modern history until the Armenian genocide in the early 1900s.
News Summary
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGEUR460182006
“Russian Federation: Racism and Xenophobia Rife in Russian Society” by Amnesty International News, 5/04/2006
Amnesty International reports that the Russian government is not adequately protecting its citizens from racism and xenophobia. The author argues that Russia is not doing what is expected of a member of the G-8 and Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in addressing this issue. Many racially-motivated attacks go unreported as the police rarely enforce the laws. Ethnic groups including Chechens, Roma, Jews, and refugees are often the subject of discrimination. Amnesty International wants Russia to insure that all of her residents are free from discrimination.
“Russian Federation: Racism and Xenophobia Rife in Russian Society” by Amnesty International News, 5/04/2006
Amnesty International reports that the Russian government is not adequately protecting its citizens from racism and xenophobia. The author argues that Russia is not doing what is expected of a member of the G-8 and Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in addressing this issue. Many racially-motivated attacks go unreported as the police rarely enforce the laws. Ethnic groups including Chechens, Roma, Jews, and refugees are often the subject of discrimination. Amnesty International wants Russia to insure that all of her residents are free from discrimination.
Monday, April 2, 2007
News Summary
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/12/06/putinresponse.shtml
“Putin Names Fighting Ethnic Hatred Top Priority for Russia” by MosNews, 6-12-2006
Russian news source MosNews reports that President Putin met with political leaders in 2006 to address the issue of ethnic hate crimes. The article says that human rights groups are concerned with “the alarming spread of racist and xenophobic attitudes in the country.” Also, there has been an increase in violence against people with non-Slavic appearances. Putin said that the state should address extremism and punish those who commit hate crimes. The President aims to change the people’s attitudes about ethnic hatred.
“Putin Names Fighting Ethnic Hatred Top Priority for Russia” by MosNews, 6-12-2006
Russian news source MosNews reports that President Putin met with political leaders in 2006 to address the issue of ethnic hate crimes. The article says that human rights groups are concerned with “the alarming spread of racist and xenophobic attitudes in the country.” Also, there has been an increase in violence against people with non-Slavic appearances. Putin said that the state should address extremism and punish those who commit hate crimes. The President aims to change the people’s attitudes about ethnic hatred.
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