Sadval (movement)

The Sadval movement, or simply Sadval (Sədvəl; Lezgian: Садвал; lit. 'Unity') is a Lezgin political movement initially founded to address the perceived discrimination and marginalization of their community in Azerbaijan. Formed in July 1990 in Dagestan, the Sadval movement addressed issues important to both Russian and Azerbaijani Lezgins. Around the same time, prior to the imminent breakup of the former Soviet Union, other ethnic minority groups in the region began to assert their own cultural and political identities.

The origins of the Sadval Organization can be traced to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Its goals were to reunify Azerbaijani and Russian Lezgins, and to create a Lezgin republic as part of the Russian Federation. The organization has ties to Russia. The proposal of such a separate region was rejected by Azerbaijan.

At a 1996 congress in Makhachkala, the organization officially abandoned its call for irredentism and admitted that its claims had inadvertently created a rift between Azerbaijanis and Lezgins. The Sadval Organization became somewhat dormant in the late 1990s, and experienced a significant decline in influence during the 2000s. Russia, however, has periodically reinvigorated its ties to Sadval. The movement has been banned in Azerbaijan.