Minority issues in Latvia, No. 15
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Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 20:04:23 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Minority issues in Latvia, No. 15
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Aleksejs Dimitrovs <[email protected]>
Minority issues in Latvia, No. 15
Minority issues in Latvia, No. 15
Prepared by the Latvian Human Rights Committee (F.I.D.H.)
May 19, 2000
Collecting signatures is continuing
Latvian Human Rights Committee is continuing to collect signatures of
Latvia residents under an appeal to the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE
and CBSS. The aim of this process is to ask international community to
recommend that Latvian authorities:
- ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection of National
Minorities signed by Latvia in May 1995;
- ensure the possibility to officially use the languages of national
minorities in the areas of their compact residence and to guarantee
further existence of the state-supported educational system in the
languages of minorities along with effective teaching of the Latvian
language;
- grant voting rights at municipal elections to the permanent
residents of Latvia who do not have the citizenship of Latvia but live
in Latvia 5 years or more (see Minority issues in Latvia, No. 13).
More than 30,000 signatures have already been collected. The appeal
has been also signed by 25 NGOs, 16 MPs and 6 deputies of the Riga
City Council. The campaign is being held actively in the largest
cities of Latvia: Riga, Daugavpils, Rezekne etc.
Co-chairman of the Latvian Human Rights Committee on trial
On April 21 the co-chairman of the Latvian Human Rights Committee
Vladimir Buzayev and two young men were temporarily detained by the
municipal police when they were collecting signatures in the Purvciems
Market in Riga. Mr. Buzayev was detained to determine his identity in
spite of the fact that he had a document of MP's assistant, so, his
identity was known. The municipal policemen accused Mr Buzayev in
holding an illegal public meeting. A protocol of administrative
misdemeanour was drawn up. A district court considered this case on
May 17. The judgement had to be postponed for Mr Buzayev proved that
the minicipal policemen made changes in the protocol after Mr Buzayev
had signed it. The next trial is scheduled for June 27 when the
witnesses will have to testify about the case. After this incident
every group of activists during the campaign is accompanied by MPs,
their assistants or deputies of municipalities from the pro-minority
coalition "For Human Rights in Integrated Latvia".
Ratification of the Framework Convention rejected
On May 11, the Latvian Saeima (parliament) rejected a bill on
ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of
National Minorities submitted by the pro-minority faction "For Human
Rights in Integrated Latvia". Mrs. Birzniece (MP from the "The Latvian
Way" party) mentioned the following arguments:
- it was not an initiative of the Cabinet of Ministers (it should be
mentioned here that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Berzinsh
recently stated that the ratification of the Convention was
"premature" (see "Minority issues in Latvia, No. 11"));
- there were some inexactitudes in the translation of the Convention
(in 5 years after it was signed (!));
- there was no ministry responsible for implementation of the
Convention;
- legislation of Latvia already provides protection of national
minorities, wide possibilities for their free development, equal
rights for ethnic Latvians and national minorities;
- a big number of representatives of national minorities in Latvia is
the result of Soviet occupation, this fact cannot be ignored;
- the term "national minority" is not defined in the Convention.
15 MPs voted "for" (all from the pro-minority faction "For Human
Rights in Integrated Latvia"), 21 - "against", 52 abstained (including
the party "The Latvian Way", which's representative signed the
Convention in May 1995).
During the same session of the Saeima, one more draft law suggested by
the pro-minority faction was declined, one "On the Status of Soldiers
of the Anti-Hitler Coalition in the Second World War". The draft law
provided some extra social benefits for these persons who were
fighting on the allies' side (currently these persons have no
privileges at all). Only 16 MPs out of 100 voted "for".
Alexei Dimitrov
Latvian Human Rights Committee (F.I.D.H.)
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