Sochi's past

(February 6, 2014)

The BBC Arabic wasn't as bad as some news sites - they didn't go on and on about the Fifth Ring That Wasn't at Russia's Opening Ceremony. They only showed footage of the perfectly synchronized fireworks.

The day before, however, the BBC Arabic under presenter Malak Jaafar did a segment about the ethnic cleansing of the Circassians. The Circassians used to live in Sochi until they were kicked out, and now they are not allowed to return home. More than 90% of them now live outside of Russia.

Here they are campaigning for their rights:

So Malak put a stern question to an Arabic-speaking Russian, or an Arab guy living in Moscow, and he said:

First of all, you are talking about 19th century history. Sorry about that. If that's the case, then we can talk about what the British and French did as occupiers and colonizers as well.

Arab-speaking man in Moscow

Malak: But unlike the French and British, you never pulled back from Sochi; you've never allowed the Circassians to return to their homeland.

Russian guy: Sure, that's what all the distorted western journalists say. We know about the voices out there, but the Circassians who are still living in Russia are happy! So there.

Malak: of course, that's obvious, because most of the Circassians have been kicked out of their homes, so the ones remaining are sure to publicly agree with the current government.

Russian guy: looks taken aback.

Then, Malak spoke with a Circassian man currently living in Frankfort, Germany. He was speaking via Skype. That man said: Russia has banned all the Circassians from even traveling to Sochi. We can't even visit. We want Russia to grant us visas.

In Arabic, the "Circassians" is pronounced as al-Sherkis.