Circassian People - Controversy Surrounding Alleged Desecration of Adyghe Mass Graves

Controversy Surrounding Alleged Desecration of Adyghe Mass Graves

The Olympic facilities in Sochi (once the Circassian capital) are being built in areas that are claimed to contain mass graves of Adyghe who were killed during ethnic cleansing by Russia in military campaigns lasting from 1860 to 1864.

Adyghe organizations in Russia and the Adyghe diaspora around the world have requested that the construction at the site would stop and that the Olympics games would not be held at the site of the Adyghe genocide to prevent the desecration of the Adyghe graves. According to Iyad Youghar, who heads the lobby group International Circassian Council: “we want the athletes to know that if they compete here they will be skiing on the bones of our relatives.”

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