29 May 2008, 11:40
Memorial to 1944 deportation victims dismantled in Chechnya
Today, in the Leninskiy District of the capital of Chechnya, building workers have started dismantling the memorial complex erected in Grozny during Dzhokhar Dudaev's rule in memory of the victims of mass deportation of Chechens undertaken in February 1944.
Right from the morning, the workers began to remove the tombstones (churts) and dismantle the sidewalk around the complex located in the Pervomaiskaya Street of the Leninskiy District. Earlier, the city authorities had declared their intention to remove the memorial complex to one of Grozny suburbs and place it in one of the micro-districts, located near the main Russian military base - Khankala.
The actions of the authorities have caused an extremely negative reaction of local residents, however they are scared to protest openly.
