Two weeks of political hunger strike for the sake of the sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan [1991]
Today is May 27, the 33rd anniversary of the end of the political hunger strike for the sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan on Freedom Square!
From May 14 to May 27, 1991, patriots of the Tatar people, real heroes of their time, held a political hunger strike on the main square of Kazan. The main goal of the political famine was “not to hold Russian presidential elections in Tatarstan,” which was hastily adopted by the Supreme Council of Tatarstan on May 13, 1991, and which contradicted the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan. These elections would destroy the independence of the Republic of Tatarstan. Deputies with a national spirit in Tatarstan, who opposed the election of the President of Russia, unfortunately, could not win the decision, so the deputy of the Supreme Council of Tatarstan, member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, editor of the Tatarstan book publishing house Fauziya Bayramova announced the decision of the Supreme Council on the evening of May 13 RT to the people who were waiting for a decision on the street and warned about declaring a political hunger strike for the sake of the Independence of Tatarstan. “For I had neither strength, nor army, nor wealth to maintain my independence, but only my life. And I gave it to Golodnaya Square, I risked my life against the catastrophe that was burning over Tatarstan…” she says in her memoirs.
We must remember the names of those heroes who were ready to sacrifice their health and lives for the independence of the Republic of Tatarstan. Fauzia Bayramova started the famous political hunger strike, then one by one she was joined by Zinnur and Rifkat Shamsutdinov, Fazil Valiahmet from the party “Ittifak”, writers from Kazan Zaki Zainullin, Rashit Akhmetzhan, Gazinur Morat, Ahat Mushinsky, Zahid Mahmudi, Zinnur Agliullin, artist theater Kamal Ildus Akhmetzhan, veteran teacher Zufar Saliyev, from Naberezhnye Chelny Gulsira Lotfullina, Gulnur Khairullina, Anisa Nurislamova, Marat Aryslanov, Shakur Vafin from Naberezhnye Chelny national movement.
Abdul Bay Abdulov, a member of the Azerbaijani parliament, also came from Baku and went on a hunger strike for Tatarstan, he was a famous religious figure who took part in our first Remembrance Day 1552. Husband and wife Salim Abubakerov and Nakia Zinnurova from Almaty.
Since this political hunger strike, associated with the elections of the President of Russia, was a major political event at the turning point of historical changes, there were those who tried to force the hungry to stop the hunger strike, exerted pressure, threatened, warned, tried to run them over with a KAMAZ truck, looters, infiltrators, aggressors worked , spies. “If this had happened now, they would have been immediately tied up and taken away; there was still democracy then,” participants in those events recall.
The hunger strike lasted a long time, because the decision on the elections could only be changed by a session of the Supreme Council, which resumed work only two weeks later. Therefore, our fearless and persistent Tatar heroes worked day and night with the people on Freedom Square for 14 days in a row, held rallies, pickets, interviews, blocked trams, shouted “Freedom!”, stormed government buildings, prayed on the street, held concerts, and did not lie down waiting for death.
The leadership of Tatarstan tried to the end to stop this political famine. But he was forced to change his decision and the President of Russia in Tatarstan was not officially elected. Since the elections of the President of Tatarstan were also scheduled for June 12, activists of the Tatar national movement, which had strong political weight, promised to interrupt the elections of the President of Tatarstan and declare a boycott. As a result, for Shaimiev this political hunger strike was a good indication to Moscow of the forces that “stand behind him.”
The result of the hunger strike, in addition to the non-election of the Russian President in Tatarstan, was the preservation of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan, because it did not indicate the subject of Tatarstan, and at that time there was nothing politically connecting it with Russia. Ultimately, Tatarstan was saved, its face and transition to independence.
The Tatar national liberation movement showed that it is a significant political force, and with this hunger strike they made the identity of the Tatar people known to the whole world. Russia saw this too and was forced to come to an agreement with Tatarstan. As a result of a sudden uprising on March 21, 1992, a referendum was held in Tatarstan, 61.4 percent of Tatarstan residents voted for the new status of the republic, for independence. On this wave, on November 6, 1992, a new Constitution of Tatarstan was adopted, which stated that our republic is a sovereign state, a subject of international law! In those years, the national economic foundation of Tatarstan was laid, and behind it stood the two-week “residents” of Freedom Square…
Parting words from one of the leaders of the Tatar national movement: “It’s impossible to live like this in the 21st century!” We need to be ready for great changes, to prepare the nation, especially its elite, intellectuals and youth. These changes may come through great turmoil and loss, and you also need to be prepared for this. If a nation itself wants to survive, it will survive, no one can defeat it, I sincerely believe in this! The potential capabilities and internal hidden forces of the Tatars have not yet been revealed. Faith and hard work have sustained the nation for centuries and will continue to do so. Nationalists bearing the eternal spirit will grow up, and national leaders will rise from the youth! Perhaps the struggle for the rights of the nation will be in a different, new format; such famines will not happen again. However, the main goal of this struggle should be the independence of the nation and state. Azatlyk Square awaits Tatar youth!”
We are grateful to all the patriots of the Tatar people who took a direct part in the political hunger strike of 1991 and supported this political step, as well as the people who brought food to activists, protected the politically hungry, raised morale and all caring people. We remember this significant event for the Tatar people and will never forget it!
Our brave compatriots took to the streets demanding independence for Tatarstan and announced a hunger strike. All this has become part of the new history of our republic.
Compatriots, let’s break the colonial chains! Independence for Tatarstan! Freedom!
Sincerely!
Rafis Kashapov – Prime Minister of the government of independent Tatarstan in exile;
Aida Abdrakhmanova – Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan in exile for national and religious issues;
Nafis Kashapov – Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan in exile for sports;
Zufar Zainullin – Ambassador of the Government of Independent Tatarstan in exile in the Republic of Latvia;
Rais Mukhutdinov – Ambassador of the Government of Independent Tatarstan in exile to the Republic of Turkey;
Irek Garif is the head of the Turan Society of Tatars of Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
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