The horror of deportation

         Forced migration is the problem familiar to lots of nations and ethnicities aroud the world. In one of my previous posts I have mentioned about North and South Korean families that were torn apart due to the war in peninsula and have almost no chance to get in touch with each other. Separation of Germans during the years of Cold war, conflict-induced displacement of Azerbaijan and Armenian people, and massive refugee crisis in Rwanda, which was the result of dreadful genocide serve as examples of this global issue.

       Unfortunately, Kazakhstan also is the land that witnessed pain and sorrow of deported people.   Seventy years passed since almost half million Chechens and Ingushs were forced into exile in remote parts of the USSR. Their harsh trip is marked by various difficulties. People were put in cattle wagons without any water and food. During the 15-day journey to kazakhstan weaker of them died on the way because of cold and starvation. One of the deportees Isa Khashiev has horrible memories of those severe days when his 3-months-old sister had frozen to death and they finally reached the destiantion where native people were unhappy of their presence. They were unwelcome due to misinformation that exiled people were "cannibals" and "barbarians".

          However, this was not the end of their misery. Those who survived the hard journey had to follow strict regulation. Moreover, they had to make regular reportrs to authorities, and in the case of disobedience  risked lenghty prison sentences in labour camps with even worse conditions.

         The exile of innocent people were forbidden subject to discussion under the rule of Stalin until his death in 1953. Only three yeras later, in 1957, displaces people were allowed to return to their homeland.