The Decree of Sovereignty of the Chechen Republic[1] (Russian: Указ президента Чеченской Республики о государственном суверенитете Чеченской Республики, lit. 'Decree of the President of the Chechen Republic on the state sovereignty of the Chechen Republic') was a formal declaration of independence for the Checheno-Ingush ASSR.[2] Between 1991 and 2000 Chechnya was de facto an independent state as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The declaration was issued on 1 November 1991, by the head of the All-National Congress of the Chechen People, Dzokhar Dudayev.