Human Rights Violations in Russia

Please read this important message about hate-crimes against non-Slavic peoples that are currently being committed in Russia, and what you can do to help.

From Andrey Boskhomdzhiev, April 22, 2010:  

"Is the world paying any attention to the hate-crimes in Russia against non-Slavic peoples, even those who are Russian citizens?  I have not seen any news in the American press about the recent murders of Kalymk people (Citizens of Russia from the Kalmyk republic in the south).  Yesterday, April 21^st, Kalmyk young people bravely began acts of civil disobedience to tell the world what is happening and I want to help them.   I am a Russian Kalmyk, Andrey Boskhomdzhiev, a graduate student in Massachusetts, and follow the news from home as well as from official Russian websites.  The most recent murder of a Kalmyk young man, Dolgan Nikeev, has been acknowledged by the government on its website in Russian, but is not included in the same website’s English language page.

Because of so many victims and the silence of government on acts of xenophobia, Kalmyk young people in Kalmykia started civil disobedience days on April 21st.  Today will be a memorial services for the 22 year old student Dolgan Nikeev killed by Russian “Nazis” in Moscow. In the recent series of attacks, Russian Nazis celebrated Hitler’s birthday with a crime spree.  According to Russian news sources, several people were killed in the attacks on April 20 2010.  Among them was Dolgan Nikeev, a Russian citizen, a Kalmyk 22-year old student at Moscow University.  He was stabbed to death and his Kalmyk friend was also seriously injured.  The other person wounded was an Arab who was attacked by 10 people with knives.  He is in critical condition.  As reported in the main Russian newspaper site, found here.

Earlier this year, Russian news acknowledged one more case, the murder of 16 year old Kalmyk, a first-year college student in Moscow.  He was stabbed by Russian nationalists on January 12, 2009.  Although it is not the first case of attacks on Kalmyks, the official news has admitted and issued statements to the press only for two cases (other one on march 23 2008 when 24 -year Kalmyk girl was stabbed to death right next to the store in Moscow).  Other cases were never published or admitted, among them the murder of my cousin on the Moscow subway in 2007.  There is a high increase in racism in Russia lately, and as result many non Slavic victims, (even though they are citizens of Russia).  http://www.interfax.ru/society/news.asp?id=56244  I hope you can pay attention to this news.  Please contact me if I can help. You can contact me, Andrey Boskhomdzhiev, for more information at this email: aboskhom@larp.umass.edu or by phone at 413-559-1251.

Sincerely,

Andrey Boskhomdhziev

What are actions that you can take?

1) Send this information to your newspaper and ask that it be covered;

2) Send a letter to the SOVA Center supporting their call for government action against anti-Slav violence in Russia, and read SOVAs reports on nationalism and xenophobia here.

(Photo courtesy of flickr user squigglycircle, shared under a creative commons license.)