On the Recognition of the Genocide of the Circassian / Adyghe People Committed by the Russian Empire
Taking into account the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other international treaties and international legal documents of the United Nations on human rights;
Emphasizing the international legal obligation of all states to cooperate and develop friendly relations among nations on the basis of respect for the principle of equal rights, as provided for in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations, in order to end violations of generally recognized principles and norms of international law, including, in particular, the prohibition of genocide;
Proceeding from the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples as a mandatory norm of modern international law, and taking into account that the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide criminalizes acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on such a group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group, and forcibly transferring children of that group to another group;
Taking into account that the ethnic cleansing of Circassian territories during the Caucasian War of 1763–1864, as a result of which more than 90 percent of Circassians were physically destroyed or expelled from their historical homeland, was a series of pre-planned brutal actions aimed at oppressing the Circassian / Adyghe people, suppressing their identity, and deliberately creating for this ethnic group conditions of life leading to its full or partial physical destruction;
Considering historical evidence confirming the criminal actions of the Russian Empire during the Caucasian War of 1763–1864 in creating artificial famine and epidemics among the peaceful population with the aim of physically destroying Circassians;
Stating that the crimes of the Russian Empire against the Circassian / Adyghe people and other peoples subjugated by it have still not received proper legal and moral assessment;
Emphasizing that the current Russian regime’s justification of the crimes of previous ruling regimes has led to the fact that today the Russian Federation conducts such foreign and domestic policy that it has resulted in its international recognition as a state sponsor of terrorism and as a state that uses terrorist means to commit horrific crimes against the Ukrainian and other peoples;
Drawing attention to the fact that the current Russian regime continues the policy of physical destruction of subjugated peoples;
Condemning the criminal actions of the repressive regime of the Russian Empire aimed at subjugating peoples and carrying out a colonial policy toward them, the consequence of which was the destruction of millions of people, the ruin of the social foundations of peoples, their centuries-old traditions, spiritual culture, and ethnic identity;
Expressing solidarity with all peoples subjugated by the Russian Empire, who, together with the Ukrainian people, suffered significant losses and suffering as a result of being held in the common “prison of peoples”;
Recognizing the need to restore historical justice for these peoples;
Taking into account the Resolution of the Parliament of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic of 7 February 1992, No. 977-XII-B, on the condemnation of the genocide of the Adyghes / Circassians during the Russo-Caucasian War;
Taking into account the Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia of 20 May 2011, No. 4701-IS, on the recognition of the genocide of the Circassians committed by the Russian Empire;
Confirming the Appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the international community, approved on 6 October 2022, in support of the right to self-determination of the peoples of the Russian Federation,
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine resolves:
1. To recognize the mass destruction of the Circassian / Adyghe people and their forcible expulsion from their historical homeland, committed by the Russian Empire during the Caucasian War of 1763–1864, as the genocide of the Circassian / Adyghe people.
2. To express sincere condolences to the Circassian / Adyghe people in connection with the genocide committed by the Russian Empire and to honor the memory of all victims of this crime.
3. To strongly condemn the crimes of genocide committed by the Russian Empire, which led to the death of hundreds of thousands of Circassians, caused significant damage to the social foundations of the Circassian / Adyghe people, and inflicted great losses on humanity.
4. To call upon foreign states and international organizations that have not yet recognized the mass destruction of Circassians as genocide to recognize the mass destruction of Circassians and their forcible deportation as the genocide of the Circassian / Adyghe people.
5. To instruct the Government of Ukraine to appeal to the governments of foreign states to facilitate raising awareness of this and other crimes committed by the Russian Empire by disseminating knowledge about such crimes in educational and research programs.
6. To condemn attempts by the current Russian regime to deliberately distort historical facts in order to support the ideology of oppression and aggression.
7. To recognize the right of the Circassian / Adyghe people in exile to repatriation to their historical lands of settlement in the northwestern part of the Caucasus, with subsequent realization of the right to national self-determination on their own territory.
8. To instruct the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to ensure the immediate transmission of this Resolution to the governments and parliaments of foreign states, institutions of the European Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.
9. This Resolution shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.
Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
R. Stefanchuk
Kyiv
9 January 2025
No. 4206-IX
