Member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada and Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Oleksandr Merezhko, has proposed the establishment of an inter-factional parliamentary caucus called “Free Ichkeria.” He announced the initiative on his Facebook page.
According to the application submitted for the creation of the caucus, its objectives include supporting the de-occupation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and the restoration of its independence, condemning violence against the Chechen people during the First and Second Chechen Wars, and advocating for the recognition of Russia’s actions as genocide against the Chechen people.
The proposed caucus also aims to establish working groups and specialized commissions to investigate alleged international crimes committed by the Russian-backed authorities in Chechnya, both within Chechnya itself and on Ukrainian territory.
The document further states that the planned parliamentary association supports the unification of the Chechen diaspora in the struggle for the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and intends to cooperate with the movement United Force and its leaders, Dzhambulat Suleymanov and Anzor Maskhadov.
Merezhko called on fellow lawmakers to join the initiative. As of now, it remains unclear how many members of parliament have formally supported the proposal.
On June 20, the Verkhovna Rada established the parliamentary group “For a Free Caucasus.” The group initially included ten lawmakers from both the governing party and opposition factions and was headed by MP Oleksii Honcharenko. Earlier in May, Honcharenko had proposed recognizing the Circassian genocide and acknowledging the independence of Ichkeria.
In October, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution recognizing Chechnya as a territory temporarily occupied by Russia and condemning what it described as the “genocide of the Chechen people.” The resolution was supported unanimously by all 287 lawmakers present during the vote. Honcharenko was among its co-authors.
Representatives of the Chechen diaspora in Europe held two separate congresses supporting the independence of the Republic of Ichkeria during the previous weekend. The first gathering, held in France on November 25–26, was initiated by Dzhambulat Suleymanov, leader of the Tolam movement. A second conference began in Belgium several days later and was organized by Akhmed Zakayev, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in exile.
The two events highlighted political divisions within the pro-independence Chechen diaspora, with some participants openly speaking of a split between competing factions.
Oleksii Honcharenko attended both congresses, while Oleksandr Merezhko participated in the gathering in France. Other Ukrainian politicians were also represented at both events.
Source: Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)