Silencing the Exile: Russia’s Global Campaign Against Circassian Identity and Independence
The following is my Online speech to the:
International Conference
The Circassian Genocide in the Context of
History and
Contemporary Politics
Adel Bashqawi
Date: December 17, 2025, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania
Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen,
I speak not only of a nation exiled, but of a people whose voice Russia has sought to silence across continents—waging a relentless campaign against Circassian identity and the very right to self‑determination and independence.
For more than a century and a half since the official end of the war, the Circassian nation has carried the burden of exile, its memory scarred by genocide and its identity threatened by Russia’s ongoing campaign of erasure.
Established Facts
- Russia’s primitive and later advanced colonial methods of control and domination over Circassia ended only with the scattering of Circassians to more than thirty countries worldwide. Its playbook has always relied on divide‑and‑rule tactics and racial discrimination.
- Ironically, Russians convinced their citizens of a false racial superiority to boost patriotism—even though the targeted peoples were indigenous, inhabiting their homelands for thousands of years without occupying or dominating others. Colonial actions were rooted in absolute domination, excessive nationalism, racism, and discrimination.
- Settler colonialism, often in conspiracy with other ambitious empires, sought to replace deported indigenous inhabitants—the rightful owners of the land—with mercenary settlers alien to the region. Genocide and forced displacement emptied most of the homeland.
- The Circassian homeland was divided into Russian colonial administrations, imposing military, cultural, and economic domination. This affected the ten percent who remained, many of whom were deported inland, far from the Black Sea coast.
- The stark reality is that Russian imperialism has haunted Circassians since the invasion of Circassia in 1763. After extermination and forced deportation of 90% of native Circassians in 1864, the Circassian diaspora became a global reality that cannot be ignored or denied.
- Russia’s recent colonial wars against Ukraine are a continuation of its extermination campaigns against Circassia and other nations of the North Caucasus in the 18th and 19th centuries. A new campaign began in February–March 2014, immediately after the Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
- Russia imposed a hybrid war, occupying and annexing Crimea, followed by southeastern Ukrainian territories. In February 2022, it launched a large‑scale war—still ongoing—aimed at occupying and annexing a sovereign, independent UN member state.
What to Accomplish
- Those who gather with free nations at this blessed conference seek to restore legitimate rights. Such an event conveys the historical trauma of forced deportation and the ongoing attempt to suppress Circassian voices.
- It demonstrates that Russia’s efforts are not confined to the Caucasus but extend regionally and internationally, making the issue urgent and far‑reaching.
- Circassian rights encompass both cultural erasure and political denial. Holding this event elevates the issue beyond local politics, framing it as an international struggle for recognition and justice.
Genocide Recognition
- Today, as a member of the Circassian nation, I find myself speechless—unable to fully express my overwhelming feelings. Words cannot convey my gratitude to the Lithuanian people for this rare opportunity to hold a conference on the Circassian genocide and its repercussions in the Lithuanian Parliament.
- I am certain that the results of this conference will be positive, known to both friend and foe, and will lead to recognition of Circassian rights as well as acknowledgment of the genocide.
- It is in the best interest of Circassians to highlight both political rights and cultural survival, broadening the scope of recognition. The Circassian nation demands that Russia recognize the genocide, apologize, provide appropriate compensation, allow the right of return under international protection, and restore the right to self‑determination and independence.
- In this context, I note the achievements of the Circassian campaign to raise awareness and gain recognition. Georgia, on May 20, 2011, and Ukraine, on January 9, 2025, recognized the Circassian genocide and its ongoing consequences perpetrated by Russia. In May 2012, Georgia inaugurated a memorial in Anaklia on the Black Sea to honor the victims of genocide and forced displacement.
Let this gathering stand as a testament that the Circassian voice cannot be silenced, nor its history erased. By recognizing the genocide and affirming the right to identity and independence, we honor the resilience of a nation exiled and affirm our shared commitment to justice, dignity, and freedom for all oppressed peoples.
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• Let us unite in demanding recognition, justice, and the restoration of Circassian rights and independence.
• Let us lift our voices together, so that the exile is no longer silenced, and the Circassian nation may rise again in dignity, memory, and freedom.
• Exile may silence voices, but it cannot extinguish a nation’s memory or its right to freedom.
