Join us for a discussion organized by the Central Asia Program at The George Washington University to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Chechen and Ingush nations to Central Asia. The speakers will discuss the historical and political significance that deportation still holds for the people of the North Caucasus, Central Asia, and beyond.
SPEAKERS
Zarina Sautieva is a human rights defender and researcher from Ingushetia, Russia. She has a MA in International Protection of Human Rights and worked at the human rights organization Stichting Justice Initiative. She was also a Galina Starovoitova Fellow on Human Rights and Conflict Resolution and a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Zarina Akhmatova is a journalist, editor, and producer for different outlets in Kazakhstan. She has edited the books Forging God’s Signature, by Alon Davidov and Operation: Jusan, by Erlan Karin. She has also produced documentaries and worked as a trainer at the MediaNet International Centre for Journalism.
Milana Mazaeva is a Chechen journalist who works for the New York Times. She was born and raised in Grozny. In 2017, she moved to Moscow and joined the BBC Russian Service. In 2021, she relocated to the USA. In 2022, she was part of the New York Times team that won a Pulitzer and an Emmy for Visual Investigation.
Orts Lamro is a law student at Fordham University. His work on Chechnya includes contributions to the book series “Freedom or Death: History of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria by Francesco Benedetti.” He left Chechnya as a child after the Second Russian-Chechen War erupted.
MODERATOR
Dr. Marat Iliyasov is a Chechen scholar of International Relations and Comparative Politics. As a Fellow at the Global Academy of GWU he explores post-Soviet conflicts, religious radicalization, and memory politics. Dr. Iliyasov worked as a journalist, and activist in Georgian and Lithuanian NGOs.