In her statement, she noted that in recent days, Chingiz Aitmatov's name has become the subject of negative discussions, accompanied by false and contradictory claims about his life, work, and public activities. Roza expressed her concern and urged everyone "not to disturb the memory of the deceased and not to use his name in political and public disputes."
She particularly emphasized that she finds it especially painful to see attempts to place responsibility on Chingiz for the events in Osh in 1990, as well as accusations of his "detachment from the Kyrgyz language" and claims about his allegedly one-sided political stance.
Regarding the events of 1990, Roza explained that at that time, Chingiz Aitmatov was in Moscow and sought to prevent a possible conflict by meeting with the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov. According to her, the result of this meeting was the Uzbek side's promise not to send troops into Kyrgyz territory, which, in her opinion, helped avoid a large-scale conflict in the region.
She also refuted rumors that Chingiz played a key role in the election of Askar Akayev as president, emphasizing that this decision was made by the deputies of the Supreme Council, and the writer was not in the country at that time.
Roza touched upon the topic of language, confirming that Chingiz Aitmatov was fluent in the Kyrgyz language, grew up in the village of Sheker, and created his first works in his native language. The transition to the Russian language was forced, arising from pressure from Soviet officials in the late 1950s, when the publication of his works in Kyrgyz was effectively blocked. During this time, he received support from the poet Alexander Tvardovsky, who suggested publishing in the magazine "Novy Mir."
Additionally, Roza refuted the opinion that Chingiz was distant from religion. She spoke about her family's religious traditions, noting that the writer respected Islam, observed the main rituals, and sincerely believed in God.
In conclusion of her address, Roza Aitmatova called for maintaining unity in society and not succumbing to provocations, emphasizing that the spread of rumors only leads to disagreements.
“There is no need to either glorify him or vilify him. Let Chingiz Aitmatov rest in peace,” she added.
