Zhanna Zasseeva is an Ossetian politician from the partially recognized

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Common meanings *Anything from the Caucasus region or related to it ** Ethnic groups in the Caucasus ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus re ...

Republic of

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

, which most of the UN recognizes as part of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, occupied by Russia.

Biography

State Councilor

From 2005 to 2017 Zasseeva served as State Councilor for

Eduard Kokoity Eduard Dzhabeyevich Kokoyty (; born 31 October 1964) is an Ossetian politician who served as the second president of South Ossetia of the partially recognized state of South Ossetia from 2001 to 2011. Early life Eduard Kokoyty was born in Tsk ...

Vadim Brovtsev Vadim Vladimirovich Brovtsev (, ''Brovtsête Vlâdimire fert Vâdim''; , ka, ვადიმ ბროვცევი, ''Vadim Brovcevi''; 26 July 1969 – 14 November 2024) was a Russian businessman who was the prime minister of the Republic o ...

, and

Leonid Tibilov Leonid Kharitonovich Tibilov (; ; ka, ლეონიდ თიბილოვი, Leonid Tibilovi; born 28 March 1951) is a South Ossetian politician who served as the third president of South Ossetia from 2012 to 2017 after winning the 2012 So ...

. During the latter of which, in 2013, praised a state-run poll which claimed mass support for the newly implemented holiday " Day of Russia" stating that "I cannot imagine my life without Russia." By 2016 she was the State Adviser to the President, as well as a member of the commission for drafting the

Constitution of South Ossetia The Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia () was adopted by 2001 South Ossetian constitutional referendum, referendum on April 8, 2001. The previous constitution was adopted on November 2, 1993. In which capacity she stated that the new Constitution must prioritize basic rule of law, and the independence of the South Ossetian judiciary, to work on a purely meritocratic system. She also claimed that her primary inspiration was the Constitution of North Ossetia, and that her proposal was well received by unnamed Russian officials.

Minister of culture

Zasseeva served as the minister of culture for

Anatoly Bibilov Anatoly Ilyich Bibilov (; , ; born 6 February 1970) is a South Ossetian military officer, was the fourth president of South Ossetia. He succeeded Leonid Tibilov as president on 21 April 2017 to 24 May 2022, following his election victory, but ...

, President from 2017 to 2022. In that capacity claimed that the 1918-1920 Georgian–Ossetian conflict was a

genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...

and organized a nationwide memorial for the 100th anniversary in 2019 alongside Amiran Dyakonov. In 2019 she also announced the creation of a national day of mourning for the Zar tragedy when the Georgian army shelled a convoy of trucks, which South Ossetia claimed was a refugee column, killing 33 civilians. As Minister of Culture, Zasseeva supported an effort to integrate with the

Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" The Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" is a music conservatory in Pesaro, Italy. Founded in 1869 with a legacy from the composer Gioachino Rossini, the conservatory officially opened in 1882 with 67 students and was then known as ...

in conjunction with Dmitriy Medoev, minister of foreign affairs, and Gennadiy Kokoev, the minister of the economy. The South Ossetian government touted the effort, as cooperation with

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, to increase support for South Ossetian recognition in Europe. Additionally, Zasseeva went on a state visit to

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

alongside Medoev, Oleg Botsiev, the South Osstian ambassador to Abkhazia, Uruzmag Dzhagaev, the South Ossetian prosecutor general, and Viktor Shargaev, head of the State Security Committee to promote bilateral relations, and a joint effort for international recognition. In the wake of the Murder of Inal Djabiev, Zasseeva, along with South Ossetia's

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

, Inal Tasoev, were among a delegation sent to Djabiev's house, following massive public backlash, promising a fair investigation into his death, however, Djabiev's widow rebuked them, stating "We distrust both MPs and investigators." One of Zasseeva's last acts as minister was to unveil a memorial to the Ered tragedy, where South Ossetia accuses Georgia of burying 12 Ossetians alive.

Women's league

Following her departure from politics, Zasseeva has founded and leads an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, the "Women's league," which, as its chairwoman, endorsed an effort to change South Ossetian history curriculum to center around the "Alan Code of Honor", focusing on Ossetians loyal to Russia since 1749. She also promoted the expansion of

Immortal Regiment The Immortal Regiment () is a massive civil event in major cities in Russia and around the world every 9 May during the Victory Day celebrations. It is also a public non-profit organization, created in Russia on a voluntary basis with the aim of ...

s in South Ossetia.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zasseeva, Zhanna Living people Ossetian politicians Year of birth missing (living people)