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KABARDINO BALKARIA REPUBLIC​ ​ On 7 February 1992, the Supreme Council of the Kabardino-Balkarian SSR became the first legislative body in the Russian Federation to recognize the Circassian Genocide, adopting Resolution No. 977-XII-B. Passed in the final days of the Soviet era, this decision stands as a remarkable act of historical acknowledgment from within Russia itself — and remains a significant, if largely overlooked, milestone in the long struggle for international recognition.

KABARDINO BALKARIA REPUBLIC​

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On 7 February 1992, the Supreme Council of the Kabardino-Balkarian SSR became the first legislative body in the Russian Federation to recognize the Circassian Genocide, adopting Resolution No. 977-XII-B. Passed in the final days of the Soviet era, this decision stands as a remarkable act of historical acknowledgment from within Russia itself — and remains a significant, if largely overlooked, milestone in the long struggle for international recognition.

SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE KABARDINO-BALKARIAN SSR

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RESOLUTION


of February 7, 1992 No. 977-XII-B

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ON THE CONDEMNATION OF THE GENOCIDE OF THE ADYGHES (CIRCASSIANS) DURING THE RUSSIAN-CAUCASIAN WAR

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The hundred-year colonial Russo-Caucasian War (1763-1864), which brought untold hardship and suffering to the Adyghe (Circassians), is unprecedented in modern history. The majority of the Adyghe ethnic group, including over 90 percent of the population of Kabarda, was physically exterminated, and more than 500,000 Adyghe were forcibly expelled by the tsarist autocracy to the Ottoman Empire.

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In giving a historical and political-legal assessment of the Russo-Caucasian War, the Supreme Council of the Kabardino-Balkarian Soviet Socialist Republic resolves:

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1. Consider the mass extermination of the Adyghe (Circassians) during the Russo-Caucasian War and their forced deportation from their historical homeland to the Ottoman Empire as an act of genocide, the gravest crime against humanity.

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2. Submit a proposal to the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation to consider the issue of recognizing the genocide of the Adyghe (Circassians) during the Russo-Caucasian War and granting dual citizenship to their compatriots abroad.

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3. To instruct the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Kabardino-Balkarian SSR and the Council of Ministers of the Kabardino-Balkarian SSR to develop a program of measures for the rehabilitation and repatriation of foreign Adyghe (Circassians).

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4. To seek the status of an exiled people for the Adyghe (Circassians) living abroad through the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation and relevant international organizations.

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5. Declare May 21, the Day of Remembrance of the Adyghe (Circassians) - victims of the Russo-Caucasian War, a non-working day.

 

Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Kabardino-Balkarian SSR
KHACHIM KARMOKOV

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