MINELRES: RFE/RL Newsline on minority issues, 22-30 January 2004
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 13, Part I, 22 January 2004
INGUSHETIAN PRESIDENT AGAIN RULES OUT REMERGER WITH CHECHNYA.
Speaking on 21 January at a press conference in Moscow, Murat
Zyazikov rejected once again the idea of reuniting Chechnya and
Ingushetia as a single federation subject, Interfax and
chechenpress.info reported (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 October 2002
and 15 and 23 October, 3 November, and 30 December 2003). Zyazikov
acknowledged that the Chechen and Ingush peoples are ethnically
closely related, and stressed that "I grew up in Grozny and care
about everything that is happening there." But he argued that
reunification is inappropriate at present. Zyazikov recalled that he
and his Chechen counterpart Kadyrov signed an agreement last year
formalizing the administrative border between the two neighboring
republics. Zyazikov added that those interest groups lobbying for
reunification "should find other things to do." LF
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 13, Part II, 22 January 2004
BELARUSIAN JEWISH LEADER'S MESSAGE PROMPTS ARREST. Police arrested
Yakov Goodman, head of the World Association of Belarusian Jewry, for
the second time in a week on 21 January for his attempt to stage an
unauthorized protest in front of the presidential administration
building in Minsk, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported.
Goodman turned up in front of the building in a coat bearing the
inscription: "Alyaksandr Ryhoravich [Lukashenka]! You are personally
responsible for the destruction of Jewish shrines. Yakov Goodman."
Goodman, weakened by a hunger strike that he launched after his first
arrest (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 January 2004), was taken from the
police station to a hospital. JM
MACEDONIAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS LAW ON TETOVO UNIVERSITY. On 21 January,
after what media described as a "marathon session," the Macedonian
parliament passed a controversial law transforming the underground
Albanian-language university in Tetovo into a state university,
Macedonian media reported. During the vote, the opposition ethnic
Macedonian Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
(VMRO-DPMNE) and the Liberal Party staged a walkout after failing to
block passage of the law. The VMRO-DPMNE and the Liberals argue that
legalizing the Albanian-language university runs counter to existing
laws and the constitution and encourages ethnically based
segregation. Zamir Dika of the opposition Democratic Party of the
Albanians (PDSH), which prefers the OSCE-sponsored private and
multilingual South East European University in Tetovo, said much
remains to be done to achieve equal representation of the Albanian
minority in the educational system (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 July
2003 and "RFE/RL Balkan Report," 11 and 18 July and 26 September
2003). UB
ROMANIAN SUPREME DEFENSE COUNCIL SAYS SZEKLER AUTONOMY PROPOSAL IS
UNCONSTITUTIONAL. A statement issued on 21 January by Romania's
Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT) said a proposed law on
autonomy for lands inhabited by the Hungarian-minority Szeklers is
"unconstitutional," Mediafax reported. The statement said
administrative autonomy and the safeguarding of national minorities'
rights must not be mistakenly interpreted as tantamount to
territorial autonomy based on ethnicity. President Ion Iliescu said
the CSAT has taken a principled stand on the issue, but noted that
deeper analysis of the draft project approved by the Szekler National
Council (CNS in Romanian, SZNT in Hungarian) is parliament's task.
Iliescu said any group of citizens is entitled to propose
legislation, but the constitution entitles parliament alone to
approve or reject law proposals. CNS Chairman Jozef Csapo said the
council has taken note of the CSAT's position, but intends to
continue pushing the proposal in parliament. Csapo added that the CNS
also intends to submit the proposal to the European Parliament and to
the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. MS
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 15, Part I, 26 January 2004
KYRGYZ PRESIDENT PROMISES ETHNIC UZBEKS MORE ATTENTION TO LANGUAGE,
CULTURE. Meeting with representatives of the ethnic Uzbek communities
of southern Kyrgyzstan on 23 January, Askar Akaev promised that Uzbek
language and culture will be given great significance in the future,
as will the languages and cultures of all the country's other
nationalities, kabar.kg reported. Akaev was promoting the Assembly of
the Peoples of Kyrgyzstan and touted the importance of interethnic
harmony for the country's economic development. In an apparent
reference to frictions between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2003 over
border issues, Akaev noted that one of the tasks of the current Year
of Social Mobilization is to promote good relations with all
neighboring countries through public diplomacy. On 26 January, Akaev
met with representatives of the ethnic Tajiks of Batken Oblast to
bring a similar message and to discuss the functioning of the Tajik
cultural center, kabar.kg reported. BB
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 15, Part II, 26 January 2004
ALBANIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER HAILS MACEDONIAN MINORITY POLICY.
Visiting Albanian parliamentary speaker Servet Pellumbi said in
Skopje on 24 January that Macedonia could serve as a model for
creating a multiethnic state with democratic means, MIA news agency
reported. Pellumbi cited the implementation of the Ohrid peace
agreement, which ended the 2001 interethnic conflict, the recent
passing of a law establishing a state-run Albanian-language
university in Tetovo, as well as the government's decentralization
efforts (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 7, 8, and 22 January 2004 and "RFE/RL
Balkan Report," 11 and 18 July and 26 September 2003). Pellumbi asked
the Macedonian government to help resolve the educational problems of
the Macedonian minority in Albania. Pellumbi's Macedonian counterpart
Ljubco Jordanovski said the Ohrid peace accord and the subsequent
constitutional amendments could serve as a model for the creation of
multiethnic societies in the whole region. UB
ROMANIA'S HUNGARIAN MINORITY MARCHES CLOSER TO SPLIT. The Hungarian
Civic Union (UCM) on 23 January selected Adel Donath as its candidate
for Targu-Mures mayor in the June 2004 local elections, Mediafax
reported. The Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR)
earlier designated Attila Kelemen as its candidate for the post. The
UCM meeting was attended by leaders of the Szekler National Council
(CNS in Romanian, SZNT in Hungarian). The UDMR earlier said that UDMR
members running against designated UDMR candidates will be expelled
from the party (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 16 January 2004). Meanwhile,
the Democratic Party on 23 January demanded that the CNS be outlawed
for its intention to present a draft law on the autonomy of the
Szekler lands, and ruling Social Democratic Party parliamentary
deputy Antonie Iorgovan -- nicknamed "the father of the Romanian
Constitution" -- said he would resign from parliament if the council
is not outlawed. Finally, some 150 members of the Vatra Romaneasca
(Romanian Cradle) anti-Hungarian organization protested in Arad on 24
January against a plan to reerect the Hungarian Liberty Monument in a
"reconciliation park" in the city. A similar demonstration by Vatra
members took place on 10 January. MS
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 16, Part II, 27 January 2004
PRIME MINISTER SAYS ROMANIA HAS 'MORAL DUTY' TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM.
Adrian Nastase said on 26 January that his country has a "moral duty"
to fight anti-Semitism, Mediafax reported. Addressing the Stockholm
International Forum in the Swedish capital, Nastase said Romania had
a totalitarian regime for nearly half of the 20th century and is
therefore duty bound to combat anti-Semitism and xenophobia in
general. He said future generations must be taught about the inherent
danger of actions that lead to the violation of human rights.
"Accepting [the legacy of] historic truth is the essential condition
for ensuring civic responsibility and respect for human rights," he
said. The Stockholm International Forum began in 2000 with a
conference on the Holocaust and on 26 January held its fourth and
final annual convention, which was dedicated to combating genocide
worldwide. MS
IN RARE CONSENSUS, ROMANIAN PARTIES REJECT SZEKLER AUTONOMY DEMAND.
The Covasna County branches of most ethnic Romanian parties on 26
January appealed to parliament to reject a proposed law on autonomy
for the lands inhabited by the Szeklers, Mediafax reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 20 January 2004). The Social Democratic Party, the
National Liberal Party-Democratic Party alliance, the Greater Romania
Party, the Romanian Humanist Party, and the Party of Romanian
National Unity said in their joint appeal that the Szekler National
Council's (CNS in Romanian, SZNT in Hungarian) law proposal is "a
serious infringement on the basic law." The appeal went on to state
that the authorities are obligated to take "corresponding measures"
against the recently formed organization claiming to represent the
Szekler group in the Hungarian minority. The signatories said they
"appreciated" the rejection of the proposal by the national
leadership of the Hungarian Democratic Federation of Romania (UDMR),
and quoted Hungarian Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs as saying the
UDMR is "the sole legitimate representative of the Hungarian minority
in Romania" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 22 and 29 December 2003, and 9
January 2004). MS
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 17, Part II, 28 January 2004
COUNCIL OF EUROPE GROUP SLAMS SLOVAKIA OVER TREATMENT OF ROMA. The
Council of Europe's expert body on combating racism has concluded
that Slovak Roma are still victimized by racial violence, "including
serious acts of police brutality," according to a report posted on
its website (http://www.coe.int/t/E/human_rights/ecri) on 27 January.
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) said
racial violence and police brutality directed at Roma often go
unpunished due to weak enforcement of the law. The ECRI also said
Slovakia's Romany minority is "severely disadvantaged in most areas
of life, particularly in the fields of housing, employment and
education." The group also called for "a full, transparent, and
impartial investigation into the recent allegations concerning
sterilizations of [Romany] women without their full and informed
consent" (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 July, 22 and 30 October, and 1
December 2003). MS
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 18, Part II, 29 January 2004
COUNCIL OF EUROPE SEES ROOM TO IMPROVE BULGARIA'S MINORITY POLICIES.
A report released on 27 January by the Council of Europe's European
Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) cites some progress
in Bulgaria's efforts to protect its religious and ethnic minorities
(see http://www.coe.int). However, the report recommends that the
government take more steps to improve the situation, particularly as
regards the country's large Romany minority. The report shows that
this group comprising about 370,000 people, or about 5 percent of the
overall population, remains subject to discrimination, police
violence, and segregation. "With regard to the police, [the ECRI]
advocates amending the legislation on the use of firearms and closely
monitoring the situation as regards the excessive use of such weapons
and of force against Roma," the report states. The report also calls
on the government to improve the integration of other minorities,
such as Macedonians and Muslim Pomaks, as well as of the situation of
asylum seekers in Bulgaria. In addition, the ECRI criticizes
Bulgaria's lack of guarantees of freedom of religion. "For instance,
the new Denominations Act passed in 2002 does not remedy all the
shortcomings as regards freedom of religion in Bulgaria," the report
reads (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 17 December 2003). UB
RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 8, No. 19, Part I, 30 January 2004
DEADLINE FOR RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS TO CHECHNYA DROPPED. The
Russian authorities have abolished the 1 March deadline by which
residents were supposed to leave three displaced-persons camps in
Ingushetia, UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland
told journalists in Moscow on 29 January, Reuters reported (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 13 January 2004). He said he pointed out to
Russian officials that imposing such a deadline contradicts
statements that the return of Chechen displaced persons to Chechnya
is purely voluntary. Egeland visited Chechnya and Ingushetia earlier
this week, and characterized the plight of the civilian population
and displaced persons in Chechnya as "critical," according to Reuters
on 27 January. LF
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