Kabardino-Balkarian authorities take into account activists’ claims to draft law on repatriation

The Ministry of Nationalities and Public Projects of Kabardino-Balkaria has sent recommendations to Moscow on revising the federal draft law on repatriation based on an appeal from Circassian activists who criticized the discriminatory nature of the draft law due to the mandatory requirement for knowledge of Russian.

The Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Nationalities and Public Projects has responded to the appeal from the Circassian organization “Zhylebze” by including the activists’ proposals in the recommendations on revising the draft law on repatriation, the “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence* reported on June 11.

While reviewing the activists’ appeal, the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Nationalities and Public Projects conducted its own examination of the draft law. On June 11, the authors of the letter received a response signed by Anzor Kurashinov, Minister of Nationalities and Public Projects. The official informed the activists that the Kabardino-Balkarian authorities sent recommendations to the Russian federal authorities on revising the draft law so that not only Russian-speaking compatriots, but also those who speak a state language of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation would receive the right to repatriation.

“It is proposed to amend Paragraph 1 of Article 2 as follows: ‘A foreign citizen or stateless person recognized as a compatriot, who speaks the Russian language or a language of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation and freely uses it in his or her family, everyday, and cultural spheres, has the right to apply for repatriation to the Russian Federation,” the response from the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Nationalities and Public Projects reads.

A human rights defender from Kabardino-Balkaria, who wished to remain anonymous, has called the reaction of the Kabardino-Balkarian Ministry of Nationalities and Public Projects “a victory for civil society.”

“Undoubtedly, the wide public outcry played its role. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Circassians living abroad and in Russia, as well as other North-Caucasian diasporas, responded to the proposed draft law (...) There is reason for restrained joy, but there is still much work ahead,” emphasized the human rights defender from Kabardino-Balkaria as quoted by the “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence* in an entry posted on its website.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 12, 2025 at 05:52 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here. 

*As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of “inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces.”