Azerbaijan: New draft law on minorities
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Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 11:26:23 +0200 (EET)
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Subject: Azerbaijan: New draft law on minorities
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Human Rights Committee of Azerbaijan
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Azerbaijan: New draft law on minorities
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(translated from Russian by MINELRES)
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Baku, 26 May, 2000, "Zerkalo" ("Mirror")
The Parliament elaborated a draft law on minority rights
Deputies of the Milly Mejlis have prepared and are discussing the
draft law to define the legal basics for the protection of the rights
of national minorities in Azerbaijan. "No one shall be forced to
change its ethnic affiliation", Art.3 of the draft emphasises.
According to the draft, the state also guarantees equality in
enjoyment of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution,
regardless of a citizen's ethnic origin. It is stressed in the
document that "the state will not permit any action aimed at forced
assimilation of national minorities".
In the meantime, each representative of national minorities is obliged
to obey the Constitution and the laws of Azerbaijan, and respect the
rights and freedoms of persons belonging to other nationalities.
Separate part of the draft law is devoted to the right to use minority
languages. National minorities have the right to be brought up and
educated in their mothertongue, to use it in creative work, and usage
of the native language cannot be restricted. Moreover, in the regions
of Azerbaijan where ethnic minorities constitute a majority of the
local population, the language of the predominant ethnic group can be
used, along with the state language, in state bodies, institutions,
enterprises and organisations.
Minorities are granted also the right to speak their native language
in courts. In case of necessity, they can use the interpreter's
services. In accordance with the law, the persons belonging to
national minorities can, "within the framework of the standards set by
state", study history, language and literature of their peoples,
receive education in their mothertongue. The state guarantees
preservation of cultural, national and religious identity of national
minorities.
It should be pointed out that, despite all positive moments, the
vice-speaker Yashar Aliev mentioned several provisions requiring
revision. In particular, the working group will have to think about
the new definition of the term "national minority". In the current
version, the notion applies to everybody who "is not an
Azerbaijanian"...
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