Press-Release №31

 Questions with no answers

Operation «Lentil» ongoing?

            Authorities of the city of Grozny, in contempt of their public promises, have started dismantling the monument to victims of deportation of 1944 year, which is located on Pervomaiskaya-street, in the central part of the Chechen capital. Since morning of 29 May, brigades of workers, which were deranging paving slab laying among grave monuments – churts - in the area of the memorial complex, have started working here with “Stakhanov’s” rate. Despite the fact that in February of this year the mayor of Grozny Muslim Khuchiev voiced the idea of moving or removing of the memorial complex to victims of deportation as a "monstrous" step, however, yesterday he personally participated in the "action" of dismantling the Memorial. Now, the city authorities motivate the decision that Grozny, ostensibly, "will develop to southeastwards, and now we move the monument there, and then that part will turn to the city center ".

            Meanwhile, the place granted by authorities for a new complex represents a huge abandoned waste ground between micro district and Michurin settlement. It is obvious that there will be small number of willing to "travel dawk" to the suburb of Grozny to see the monument to victims of deportation, which officials promise to decorate "in Euro style", with night illumination, etc. The memorial complex, in opinion of many inhabitants of Grozny, should be in the city center not only that it tells present and future generations of the Chechen Republic about the tragedy of people, but also it allows every passer-by to pray for soles of the compatriots, tens and hundred thousand of which remained laying in boundless steppes of Kazakhstan. In fact, since long time ago in the Chechen Republic cemeteries have been established in the center of settlements or in direct affinity of them.

            Intention of city authorities to move the monument to victims of Stalin deportation is perceived by majority as open mockery above our history, above feelings of people, above national tragedy. In fact, this monument was created using people’s means and people had taken here old churts, majority of which have been used as the bases of houses and various constructions after eviction of Chechens, practically from the whole republic.

            In opinion of many, most likely, officials do not accept the fact that this monument was established during the times of Dzhokhar Dudaev and the idea of moving the Memorial is connected to that. Others consider that city authorities simply aspire to release the land in the central part of the city to, then, sell it more favorably to a rich businessman, who will build here another smart shop, restaurant or a car repair shop. Statements of officials that the memorial complex mismatches the general plan of the city is considered by people as far-fetched and mismatching the real intentions.

            On February 23 of 1944 year, according to the order of the leadership of the USSR Chechens had been massively deported to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Checheno-Ingush autonomous republic (ASSR) had been abolished, and its territory was divided between the neighboring republics – Dagestan, North Ossetia and Stavropol. According to official data, within several days 478 479 person, including 387 229 Chechens, had been deported from the territory of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. Approximately half of them had died on the way and in the course of the first years of deportation due to cold, famine and illnesses. Until now the overwhelming majority of Chechens consider the deportation of 1944 year as one of the most terrible tragedies, along with two last military campaigns in the republic, which have taken away lives of tens thousand people.

            In 1944, the communistic leaders named the operation of on eviction of Chechens as "Lentil". Together with people at that time churts from cemeteries had been deported as well. They had been destroyed, used for construction of roads and as bases of buildings and various constructions. Gravestones from tombs of our ancestors had been returned from the "deportation" at the beginning of 90^th. They were turned into the Memorial of memory and grief in the center of Grozny. Now, as it was revealed, ours churts are to expect a "deportation".

Today, the communistic empire of the USSR, which was a "people’s prison" has fallen, but the operation "Lentil", as it is found out, is still ongoing. It proceeds, but in the other, veiled form. The purpose of a new "Lentil", which is conducted by descendants of those, who were among 387 229 deported Chechens, most likely, consists in etching the tragedy of 1944 year from the national memory. Who needs this new "Lentil"?

30 May 2008

Information Center for CNO 

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