Open letter to Dr. Thomas Bach, President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation and presidency candidate for the International Olympic Committee: 

Dear Dr. Bach

on May 21, Circassians all over the world commemorate the genocide committed against their peoples by the army of the Russian Tsar in 1864, when 1.5 million Circassians had been killed. After more than 100 years of war, Sochi was their last capital city. At that time, a lot of Circassians had been murdered in the area of Krasnaya Polyana. In 2014, Krasnaya Polyana – the "blood-red field" – will be the main venue for the Olympic skiing competitions. Many Circassians are shocked by the way their sad history is being treated 150 years later. Only ten percent of the Circassians live in the Russian Federation. Most of the descendants of those who survived the war, the expulsions and deportations across Black Sea – which claimed the most of the victims – are now scattered all over the world. From their point of view, Sochi 2014 is another act of Russian aggression, an attempt to harass the Circassians.

On behalf of the Circassians and the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), we would like to ask you, Dear Mr. Bach, to use your candidacy as President of the International Olympic

Committee to draw attention to the fate of the Circassians. The crimes of genocide committed 150 years ago are not time-barred. On the contrary, the Olympics should also provide a possibility for adequate commemorations. The Circassians are still waiting for an official apology by the Russian government. They expect an exhibition for the remembrance of the genocide. Please advocate for these legitimate demands and emphasize the IOC's respect and commitment towards the human rights clauses it adopted.

If major sporting events take place in countries that disrespect basic human rights, the IOC will be questioned about its position again and again. When the Olympic Games took place in China in 2008, the German committee had shown some initiative, although not as much as the

STP and other human rights organizations would have wished. The games in Sochi now offer another chance to emphasize the IOC's own statutes and to establish a human rights policy. The genocide of the Circassians should be a point of focus.

Dear Mr. Bach, we would therefore like to ask for your opinion on this topic and propose a meeting with a delegation of Circassians.

Sincerely,

Tilman Zülch, Secretary General of the STP