"The criminal prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova must be terminated due to the absence of evidence of a crime."
To the Head of the Republic of Adygea
KUMPILOV M.K.
Copy:
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Adygea
KERASHEV A.A.
Human Rights Commissioner of the Republic of Adygea
SHCHEBANETS M.R.
To the Deputies of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation from the Republic of Adygea:
KHAPSIROKOV M.K.-G., NAROLIN A.V., REZNIK V.M., KHASANOV M.R.
Dear Murat Karalbievich!
The Circassian community expresses concern about the unlawful prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova, a philologist, native language teacher, poet, and translator. On August 28, 2025, a criminal case was opened against her under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code for participating in the activities of the Circassian Cultural Center* (Tbilisi), an organization recognized as extremist by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation's decision of June 7, 2024. Currently, according to available information, investigative measures are underway, including interrogations of her relatives and searches of her parents' home, where she has not lived for over 13 years.
It should be emphasized that Tuptsokova's academic and public work has become widely known both in the North Caucasus and among the Caucasian diaspora worldwide, and the crime with which she is charged cannot in any way be connected to her activities.
Larisa Tuptsokova worked at the Circassian Cultural Center in Tbilisi, a budgetary organization under the Georgian Ministry of Culture. In the summer of 2024, the Circassian Cultural Center (CCC) was added to the list of extremist organizations (although in the Russian Ministry of Justice's registry, it is listed as a "foreign non-governmental non-profit organization"). During her time at the center, Larisa Tuptsokova's main activity was literary translations of Georgian poets into Circassian. She published Circassian translations of poems and verses by Georgian classics Vazha Pshavela and Akaki Tsereteli, as well as contemporary poets Amiran Svimonishvili, Dato Maghradze, and others. She won various literary awards and was also nominated for the state award "Order of Honor" in 2021.
She also assisted in organizing academic conferences and compiled and edited publications on the study of the native language (ныдэлфыбзэ). She also organized the Caucasian Poetry Festival in Georgia, which annually featured local poets and writers, as well as guests from Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Ingushetia, Dagestan, and elsewhere. The last festival, organized in Anaklia, was held in the fall of 2023, where she announced the end of her work at the ChKC in Tbilisi to focus entirely on her main work—teaching native languages online and compiling various teaching aids.
It is important to note that Larisa Tuptsokova's work at the Circassian Cultural Center* ended in the fall of 2023—long before the Russian Supreme Court designated the Center an extremist organization.
Nevertheless, in August 2025, Adygea Republican Television repeatedly aired a report in which Larisa Tuptsokova's name was mentioned in connection with the activities of the Circassian Cultural Center. The presentation of the material was clearly accusatory and did not reflect the actual circumstances of her work.
Simultaneously with the release of this report, an anonymous website appeared online, using the symbols, name, and actual contact information of the Circassian Cultural Center. The materials posted there falsely presented Larisa Tuptsokova as an active employee of the Center, and announced new projects in her name, which constitutes a substitution of authentic information.
These publications caused considerable confusion among colleagues and those familiar with her activities, as they create the impression of a deliberate campaign to create a false image. It's telling that shortly after public comments about this resource appeared, access to the site was blocked: when attempting to access the page, a message is now displayed stating that it has been terminated and that the creator has outstanding renewal registration.
Therefore, the criminal prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova should be terminated due to the absence of a criminal offense, as Larisa was not involved in its activities at the time the organization was designated as extremist. However, the current circumstances, unfortunately, give reason to believe that the investigation intends to bring the case to court by any means necessary.
Considering the above and the enormous public outcry caused by the illegal actions of law enforcement agencies, we ask you, the primary guarantor of the protection and observance of constitutional human and civil rights and freedoms in the Republic of Adygea, to take measures to terminate the criminal prosecution of Larisa Tuptsokova.
We urge the remaining addressees of this appeal to actively assist in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Larisa Tuptsokova and her family.
Sincerely,
Marx SHAKHMURZOV - Chairman of the Kabardino-Balkarian branch of the Russian Association of Victims of Political Repression (Nalchik)
Zamudin GUCHEV - Honored Artist of the Republic of Adygea, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, diploma holder of the Russian Academy of Arts (Maikop)
Boris DAUROV - Doctor of Medicine, Professor, Chairman of the Council of Elders of the Circassian People (Cherkessk)
Ruslan GVASHEV - Public figure (Lazarevskoye settlement, Sochi)
Albert ADAMOKOV - Public figure (Cherkessk)
Ruslan ACHMIZ - Public figure (Maikop)
Muzarib BZHAKHOV - Honored Architect of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (Nalchik)
Valery KHATAZHUKOV - Chairman of the Kabardino-Balkarian Regional Human Rights Center (Nalchik)
Zaurbey CHUNDYSHKO - Chairman Adyghe Republican Public Organization "Adyghe Khase-Circassian Council" (Maikop)
ABID Gissa - Honored Worker of Culture of the Republic of Adygea (Maikop)
ACHOKH Dakhanagu - Adyghe language teacher (Tuapse)
KOZHEV Zaurbek - PhD (Nalchik)
Bella SOKOLOVA - journalist, public figure (Tuapse)
Roza NAMITOK - journalist, translator, teacher (Krasnodar)
Azamat SHORMANOV - public figure (Nalchik)
Mukhamed BERKHAMOV - public figure (Nalchik)
Olga BEGRETOVA-EFFENDIEVA - human rights activist, public figure (Nalchik)
Zaur ZHEMUKHOV - Chairman of the Board of the NGO "Zhylebze" (Nalchik)
Alik SHASHEV - public figure (Nalchik)
Albek ABAZOV - Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Kabardino-Circassian Language and Literature Department of the Siberian State Institute of Geography, Kabardino-Cherkess State University, Honored Worker of Education of the Kabardino-Cherkess Republic, member of the Union of Writers of Russia (Nalchik)
Timur ALOEV - Candidate of Historical Sciences (Nalchik) Nalchik)
YAHUTL Yuri - public figure (Maykop)
BGANE Aliy is a member of the executive committee of the Adyghe Republican public organization “Adyghe Khase-Circassian Council”.
Alim PSHBIEV – journalist, editor-in-chief of the “Made in KBR” channel (Nalchik)
TOKOV Zaudin - artist (Nalchik)
MESHEV Ismel - public figure (Nalchik)
Kazbek BALKAROV - musician, choreographer (Nalchik)
MAMIKOV Kazbek - poet, public figure (Nalchik)
CHERKESOV Mukhamed - public figure (Cherkessk)
October 28, 2025
Source: https://zapravakbr.com
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