The Crying Sun

WASHINGTON - The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe in cooperation with The National Endowment for Democracy
is pleased to invite you to a screening and discussion of:

"The Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya"

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

10:00 am -11:30 am

1105 Longworth House Office Building

This documentary focuses on the life stories of people from the high mountainous village of Zumsoy in Chechnya who struggle to preserve their cultural identity and traditions in the background of military raids and attacks by guerilla fighters, torture and forced disappearances, and internal displacement. "The Crying Sun" was produced by Memorial* in partnership with WITNESS and completed in February 2007. The film is 25 minutes long.

Attendees will have an opportunity to engage in discussion with the filmmakers and leading human rights activists from the region.

Congressional Host
• Hon. Alcee L. Hastings – Chairman, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Lead Discussant
• Carl Gershman – President, National Endowment for Democracy

Panelists
• Zarema Mukusheva – Filmmaker and Producer, Memorial-Grozny
• Ekaterina Sokiryanskaya – Co-Producer, Chechen State University Professor
Memorial-Nazran
• Shamil Tangiev – Head of Memorial-Grozny
• Ousam Baysaev – RFE/RL reporter for Chechnya, Memorial-Ingushetia

*Memorial is a human rights organization based in Russia and is a grantee of the National Endowment for Democracy. Since 2000, it has been the only Russian human rights group with permanent offices in Chechnya that document human rights violations and offer assistance to victims.