Banned public body in Russia’s North Caucasus laments ethnic problems

KABARDA-BALKARIA, 27 March, Caucasus Times – The head of the State Council of Balkaria, Rasul Dhappuyev, has commented on the decision of the Kabarda-Balkar Supreme Court to abolish his organization and said that “the leaders of the national movement are still worried about ethnic problems despite the court ban”.

These problems, he believes, are the disappearance and degeneration of the Balkars and lack of prospects for the Balkar youth. Among other problems that need to be resolved, Dzhappuyev mentioned restoring Khasanya and Belaya Rechka residential areas to their previous status. “They remained villages but are part of Nalchik. Deputies are not elected from those
areas.”

Dzhappuyev said that the State Council of the Balkar people was trying to restore four Balkar districts, which the organization says existed before the deportation of Balkars to Central Asia in 1944.

“We cannot even regain those territorial rights which we had under Stalin,” he said.

“Balkars do not have political rights. They are not represented in the Russian parliament. Balkar officials who hold government posts do not stand for the interests of the Balkar people,” Dzhappuyev said.

He said that the organization was ready for the court decision. “It was important for us to prove that we are not extremists and that we act within Russian laws,” he said.