Dozens in Prague commemorate 61st anniversary of Chechen deportation and call for peace (Prague Watchdog) – Dozens of Czechs and Chechens commemorated the 61st anniversary of the Stalin-era deportations of Chechens and Ingush to Central Asia and West Siberia. The participants in this event, which took place in Prague Wednesday afternoon, also expressed their desire for peace in Chechnya.
Nearly 40 people lit candles at the Victims of Communism Memorial at the foot of Petrin hill, an event organized by the civic associations Berkat and Tolerance. At the hill’s summit, in front of the St. Lawrence Church, they placed candles in the snow and listened to speeches by the representatives of the organizers and the Chechen community who live in the Czech Republic.
The speakers not only recalled the tragic moments inflicted on the Chechens by the Soviet empire and presently by Russia, but also criticized the politicians in the world who, by pursuing their own goals, contributed to the dismal state of affairs in Chechnya.
The event coincided with deportation rallies and anti-war protests in other European cities, including Brussels, Florence, Stockholm, Moscow and St. Petersburg, for example.
(T/E) RELATED ARTICLES:
· Over 200 people at deportation anniversary rally in Prague, hear statement sent by Vaclav Havel (PW, 26. 02. 2004)
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