Basayev’s portrait
The Ombudsman of North Ossetia, Tamerlan Tsoyev, has officially urged his Abkhaz counterpart, Anas Kishmaria, to “deheroize the terrorist Shamil Basayev,” whose portrait hangs in the State Museum of Abkhazia. Tsoyev requested that the issue of stripping Basayev of honorary titles and awards, including the title of Hero of Abkhazia, be considered.
Shamil Basayev was a Chechen field commander and one of the leaders of the armed struggle for the independence of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. He actively participated in combat operations in Chechnya from 1991 to 2006.
In the Russian Federation, of which North Ossetia is a part, Ichkeria is recognized as a terrorist organization.
Basayev also fought on the side of the Abkhaz in the Georgian-Abkhaz war of 1992-93, for which he received the title of “Hero of Abkhazia.”
He organized a number of high-profile terrorist attacks in Russia.
He was killed in 2006 in Ingushetia.
The portrait of Basayev is displayed in the museum as part of the “Heroes of Abkhazia” exhibition in the hall of modern history. Moreover, it has been hanging there since 2012, not just recently.
Some in Abkhazia link the current scandal surrounding this portrait to the fact that Russian-Abkhaz relations are experiencing a serious crisis.
In North Ossetia, the heroization of Basayev is perceived very painfully, as he was the one who organized the hostage-taking at the school in the North Ossetian city of Beslan on September 1, 2004, resulting in the deaths of 334 people.
“The presence of Basayev’s portrait in the museum is not only morally unacceptable but also violates the rights of the residents of Russia who have suffered from terrorist attacks,” states Ombudsman Tamerlan Tsoyev.
He adds that this also contradicts international conventions on combating terrorism and creates an atmosphere of impunity for those who commit acts of violence.
The Abkhaz Ombudsman has not yet responded to the appeal, while the museum administration stated that it would remove the portrait only after an official court decision or after Basayev is stripped of his heroic title.
“He helped us achieve victory over the Georgian army. He is part of our history,” the museum said.
However, under pressure from various sides, including the Russian Embassy in Abkhazia, the museum agreed to temporarily close the exhibition as a compromise.
The situation has also outraged many veteran volunteers from the North Caucasus who fought on the Abkhaz side in the 1992-93 war.
According to one of them, “Basayev’s contribution to the overall victory was greatly exaggerated, and his unjustified crimes against defenseless women and children are unworthy of the title of a Caucasian man and mountaineer.”
In turn, Chechen military figure Apti Alaudinov, in a conversation with Ossetian bloggers, stated that “Shamil Basayev is not a hero, but a bloody murderer,” and urged Abkhazia not to create false idols for itself.
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