FM Alert, Vol. II, No. 1
Date: Fri, 09 Jan 98 19:50:02 -0500
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: FM Alert, Vol. II, No. 1
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Allison Mindel <[email protected]>
FM Alert, Vol. II, No. 1
FM Alert, No. 1
5 January 1998
BALTIC STATES CONSIDERING CITIZENSHIP/NATURALIZATION MOVES
The Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia are mulling changes in citizenship
and naturalization legislation which may promote inclusiveness. The Estonian
government is studying an amendment that would grant automatic citizenship
to children born on Estonian territory to non-citizen parents who have
resided in the country for at least five years. The measure would affect
tens of thousands of Russian speaking youths whose parents' residency dates
back to the Soviet era. If adopted, the amendment would hasten the inclusion
of Russian speakers into Estonian public life, allowing them to avoid
complex naturalization procedures. In Latvia, the government has reduced
waiting periods for naturalization exams. The waiting period
for the language test -- a key component for naturalization -- was cut to
three months from six. Those who do not initially pass the test on history
and constitutional provisions can retake it after waiting one month. In
addition, the government has decided to cut naturalization fees in half to
about $15. When Estonia and Latvia regained independence they adopted
citizenship legislation that effectively disenfranchised hundreds of
thousands of Russian speakers. The countries have experienced social
tensions since then, as many Russian speakers have balked at going through
the naturalization process in order to obtain citizenship. (For background
information consult the Forced Migration Projects special report "Estonia
and Latvia: Citizenship, Language and Conflict Prevention").
(Moderator's note: unfortunately, this info contains some inaccurate
information - see the next MINELRES posting. Boris)
MESKHETIAN TURKS IN TBILISI PROTEST DRAFT REHABILITATION LAW
A draft law on the rehabilitation of victims of political repression in
Georgia has sparked a series of demonstrations by Meskhetian Turks. The bill
would rehabilitate Georgian citizens only, effectively excluding the vast
majority of Meskhetian Turks, thus hampering ongoing repatriation efforts.
The Turks were deported en masse by former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in
1944 from the Meskhetia region of Georgia for alleged collaboration with
invading Nazi armies. Many Meskhetian Turks still reside in Central Asia,
Azerbaijan and southern Russia. Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze
issued a decree on December 6, 1996, calling for a state program to
repatriate up to 5,000 Meskhetian families by 2000. However, little progress
has been made to date in implementing the decree. The chairman of Georgia's
parliamentary Committee on Migration, Guram Sharadze, has insisted that non-
citizens be excluded from rehabilitation programs, and described the
Meskhetian Turk protests as a provocation. (For background consult FM Alert
of April 11, 1997).
HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS CAUTIOUS IN TAJIKISTAN
International humanitarian organizations in Tajikistan are continuing
temporary, but sharp, staff reductions in the wake of the 13-day-long
hostage crisis which left one of two French aid workers dead. Despite
security pledges by the Tajik government of Imomali Rakhmonov, many
organizations have relocated to neighboring Uzbekistan, says a Forced
Migration Projects consultant who recently visited Tajikistan. Humanitarian
organizations will wait until early 1998 to reassess the perils to foreign
staff returning to operate assistance programs for thousands of returning
war refugees and others internally displaced and impoverished by the five-
year long civil war. The security concerns, fueled by the latest in a string
of hostage incidents, could jeopardize some of the post-war recovery efforts
planned by the international community since the government and United Tajik
Opposition signed a UN-brokered peace accord last June. At an international
donors meeting in Vienna last month, some participants considered
conditioning aid on greater general security efforts by the Tajik
authorities. For background consult FM Alert of October 17, 1997 and
September 12, 1997).
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For more information contact:
Forced Migration Projects
Open Society Institute
400 West 59th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10019
tel: (212) 548-0655
fax: (212) 548-4676
[email protected]
www.soros.org/migrate.html
--
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