"Crying Sun," a documentary that focuses on the life stories of people from the high mountainous village of Zumsoy in the separatist region of Chechnya, Russia, will be screened on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Red Pit in the Kirner Johnson Building. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include a panel discussion on human rights violations in Chechnya following the screening of the film.
The film features the villagers' struggle to preserve their cultural identity and traditions in the context of military raids and enforced disappearances by the federal army, attacks by guerilla fighters and subsequent displacement. The film, written by Zarema Mukusheva, was produced by the Russian-based human rights organization Memorial in cooperation with WITNESS, an international human rights organization.
The panel includes human rights defenders Ousam Baysaev, Zarema (Zina) Mukusheva and Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya.
Baysaev has worked for Memorial since 2000 documenting human rights abuse in Chechnya. He has co-authored a book series titled "People Live Here. A Chronicle of Violence of the Second Chechen War," and written investigative reports titled "Zachistka" and "Anti-terrorist Operation." He has also worked as a reporter for Radio-Free Europe.
Mukusheva is human right defender who has been working for Memorial since 2000. She has used visual media to bring international attention to murders, mass graves, disappearances and kidnappings in Chechnya. Zarema is the recipient of the 2005 Reebok Human Rights Award for young human rights activists who do courageous work in war-torn areas. Mukusheva is a graduate of Chechen State University with an M.A. in history.
Sokiryanskaya has worked for Memorial since 2003. She heads the programs "Database of Enforced Disappearances in Chechnya" and "Counting Fabrications of Criminal Cases within the Framework of Anti-Terrorist Operations in the North Caucasus." Sokiryanskaya has a Ph.D. in political science from St Petersburg State University. She is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Chechen State University in Grozny.
Memorial's Human Rights Center was created in 1991 for human rights research and advocacy of Memorial Society, a Russian historical and educational non-governmental association. It has a particular focus on human rights protection in the conflict zones in ex-Soviet Republics.
This event is sponsored by the Hamilton College government department. For more information contact government professor Sharon Rivera at 859-4223 or srivera@hamilton.edu.
The film features the villagers' struggle to preserve their cultural identity and traditions in the context of military raids and enforced disappearances by the federal army, attacks by guerilla fighters and subsequent displacement. The film, written by Zarema Mukusheva, was produced by the Russian-based human rights organization Memorial in cooperation with WITNESS, an international human rights organization.
The panel includes human rights defenders Ousam Baysaev, Zarema (Zina) Mukusheva and Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya.
Baysaev has worked for Memorial since 2000 documenting human rights abuse in Chechnya. He has co-authored a book series titled "People Live Here. A Chronicle of Violence of the Second Chechen War," and written investigative reports titled "Zachistka" and "Anti-terrorist Operation." He has also worked as a reporter for Radio-Free Europe.
Mukusheva is human right defender who has been working for Memorial since 2000. She has used visual media to bring international attention to murders, mass graves, disappearances and kidnappings in Chechnya. Zarema is the recipient of the 2005 Reebok Human Rights Award for young human rights activists who do courageous work in war-torn areas. Mukusheva is a graduate of Chechen State University with an M.A. in history.
Sokiryanskaya has worked for Memorial since 2003. She heads the programs "Database of Enforced Disappearances in Chechnya" and "Counting Fabrications of Criminal Cases within the Framework of Anti-Terrorist Operations in the North Caucasus." Sokiryanskaya has a Ph.D. in political science from St Petersburg State University. She is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Chechen State University in Grozny.
Memorial's Human Rights Center was created in 1991 for human rights research and advocacy of Memorial Society, a Russian historical and educational non-governmental association. It has a particular focus on human rights protection in the conflict zones in ex-Soviet Republics.
This event is sponsored by the Hamilton College government department. For more information contact government professor Sharon Rivera at 859-4223 or srivera@hamilton.edu.
