10 March 2004, 17:28
Actions in commemoration of 60th anniversary of deportation of Balkarian people take place in Kabardino-Balkaria
Actions in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the deportation of the Balkarian people were carried out in Kabardino-Balkaria on March 8. On March 8, 1944, NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) forces forcibly removed 38 thousand Balkars to Central Asia by Stalin's order; more than a half of those people were women and children. Experts say one of every four displaced persons died from hunger and privation during four years. The Balkars were able to return to their homeland only in 1957.
Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
