FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Sochi Olympic Games 2014
and the Circassian Genocide
by Levent Sürer
Federation of European Circassians
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Agenda
 Sochi, the Black Sea City
 Facts and Figures about Sochi Olympics 2014
 Circassian Genocide
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Agenda
 Sochi, the Black Sea City
 Facts and Figures about Sochi Olympics 2014
 Circassian Genocide
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
 Population 340.000
 Russians, Ubykh, Shapsugh
 Located in Krasnodar Krai,
 close to Abkhazian border
 Streches 145 km along the
black sea and is considered one
of the largest cities in Europe
 Name is Ubykh and comes from
the river crossing the city
 Even Muslim over centuries no
single mosque in entire Sotchi
today
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Agenda
 Sochi, the Black Sea City
 Facts and Figures about Sochi Olympics 2014
 Circassian Genocide
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
 Candidate cities for Olympia 2014:
 Salzburg, Austria – IOC ratin „excellent“
 Pyeonchang, South Korea – IOC rating „excellent“
 Sotchi, IOC rating „very good“
 Sotchi elected with 51 to 47 vs. Pyeongchang in second round
 No single site existed when been elected
 12 billion USD investment guaranteed by President Putin in infrastructure,
sport sites in Sotchi and Krasnaya Poljana
 Winter Olympics at +3 degree Celcius lowest average temperature
 Same latitude as Nice in Cote d‘Azur
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Sotchi city logo
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Agenda
 Sochi, the Black Sea City
 Facts and Figures about Sochi Olympics 2014
 Circassian Genocide
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
 Sochi is site of the final
expulsion of the Circassians
 Tremendous number of
deportees perished during
the process
 Some died from epidemics
among crowds of deportees
both while awaiting
departure and while
languishing in their Ottoman
Black Sea ports of arrival
 Others perished when ships
underway sank during
storms
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
 90% of the indigenous Circassians were slaughtered or expulsed from
their homelands
 According to the official tsarist documents more than
400,000 Circassians were killed,
497,000 were forced to flee abroad to Turkey, and only
80,000 were left alive in their native area
 Other sources give much higher numbers, totaling 1 million- 1.5 million
deported and/or killed
 "In this year of 1864 a deed has been accomplished almost without precedent in
history: not one of the mountaineer (Circassians) inhabitants remains on their
former places of residence, and measures are being taken to cleanse the region
in order to prepare it for the new Russian population." – Main Staff of the
Caucasian Army
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
President of the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Russian Circassians,
Alexander Ohtov, says the term genocide is justified in his Kommersant interview:
"Yes, I believe that the concept of genocide against the Circassians was
justified. To understand why we are talking about the genocide, you have
to look at history. During the Russian-Caucasian war, Russian generals
not only expelled the Circassians, but also destroyed them physically. Not
only killed them in combat but burned hundreds of villages with civilians.
Spared neither children nor women nor the elderly. The entire fields of
ripe crops were burned, the orchards cut down, so that the Circassians
could not return to their habitations.
A destruction of
civilian population on a massive scale is it not a genocide?"
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
 Alpine ski in Krasnaya Poljana = Russian for „Red Hill“
 In 1864, Circassians tried to return home but were attacked and a battle
ensued, ending in their massacre, and attaining the name "Red Hill" (for
the blood spilt).
 There will be skiing and snowboarding on this hill !!!
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Just Imagine !!!
How would the world react to this ????
Auschwitz 20XX
Olympic Games
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
The Circassian Genocide
We did not forget
Unutmadik !
We will not forget
Unutmayacagiz !
We will not let them forget
Unutturmayacagiz !
Russia, We are still awaiting your apology!
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
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www.euroxase.com
FEDERATION OF EUROPEAN CIRCASSIANS
AVRUPALI ÇERKESLER FEDERASYONU
Thank you for your
attention !
Brussels, 18th June 2012 – 7th Circassian Day at EP
-
www.euroxase.com