Latvia: Human rigts report '97 (summary)
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1998 11:49:43 +0300 (EET DST)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Latvia: Human rigts report '97 (summary)
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Gennady Kotov <[email protected]>
Summary: Latvia: Human rigts report '97 (summary)
We send our annual report published in "SM", one of the biggest
Latvia's newspapers. Definitely we have a number of problems with
human rights situation in Latvia. You will find description of some of
these problems in the following material.
WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH LATVIA?
These are general conclusions from the report of the Latvian Human
Rights Committee on the development of the situation in Latvia in
1997. The complete text of the report (over 1100 lines)contains many
concrete facts validating these conclusions and is intended for
submitting into international institutions.
The general tendencies of the situation development in 1997 are
completely valid at present.
In 1997, there were no appreciable shifts in the solution of the key
problem in the field of human rights in Latvia, as for the problem of
statelessness of about 30% of the country's population.
Despite more and more persevering recommendations and appeals of the
international community, the joint account of reduction and
introduction of new discriminatory restrictions of the non-citizens'
rights in 1997 was 5:5 (i.e. 5 restrictions were abolished and 5 new
ones introduced). This indicates that the problem of elimination of
discrimination of the non-citizens in Latvia is not solved.
As for the use of the languages of national minorities and the
opportunity of education in a non-Latvian language, the situation
threatens with a serious deterioration. The adoption (in the first
reading) of changes to the Labor Code envisaging dismissal of the
employees unable to show enough skills in the state language, the
legislative bill "On the State Language" and the persistent
unwillingness to bring it in conformity with the international norms
give evidence in this instance.
The scandalous practice of closing Russian schools was replaced by
tactics of their 'condensing' and removing from the occupied premises
(3rd Riga's school, the Russian schools in Tukums and Cesis).
According to the legislative bills (adopted in the first reading) on
education and the state language, elimination of any state support to
the non-Latvian educational institutions is planned by 2005.
No measures were taken to resolve the problem of the so called
'illegal' residents
artificially created in the country because of legislative "gaps", as
well as the problem of the reunification of ethnically non-Latvian
families.
The events of the year developed within the background of the growing
influence and strength of the radical nationalistic forces, increasing
aggressiveness of militant nationalistic and racist ideas,
strengthening of ideology of segregation and discrimination along
ethnic lines, demonstrative manifestations of sympathy to the Nazi
past.
Within one year, a further politicisation of legal and judicial system
and blocking civilised methods of the solution of conflicts took
place. This provokes search for uncivilised ways of protecting one's
rights and promotes growth of disloyalty.
The growing mistrust of the people to official bodies and their
further impoverishment do not add much to the stability in the
country. As a result, since mid-1997, first signs of transformation of
inter-ethnic conflict from the latent into the open form have
appeared. Explosion at the Memorial to the liberators of Riga from
Hitler's troops in June. The bomb with its started clock mechanism,
found and neutralised only by a happy chance on July 9 in the Jewish
hospital 'Bikur Holim'. The tragedy of September 20 near Iecava, where
a Russian driven into despair shot seven Latvians dead and then
committed suicide himself, too. The murder of the chief of
ultra-nationalist organisation 'Aizsargi' on November 28.
Some political scientists on the basis of interviews and surveys,
claim that ethnic self-consciousness of non-Latvians grows, and that
of the ethnic Latvians on the whole falls (for example, A.Pabriks, PhD
in political science, in 'Diena' of November 3, 1997). This view may
be confirmed by the results of the municipal
elections in March. For example, in Riga and Rezekne, where ethnically
non-Latvian population makes up the majority, representation of
minorities in local councils increased substantially (despite the fact
that majority of ethnic non-Latvians, being non-citizens, have no
voting rights in municipal elections).
This trend proves to be true also through many publications in the
Latvia's Russian-language press of the latest time, in which the
authors think over the situation and make proposals for solutions of
the most urgent problems.
Owing to influence of the international community, some understanding
of the abnormality of the situation with the national minorities and
the danger of the formation of a genuine two-community state, begins
to penetrate into the ruling elites of Latvia. However, the
overwhelming majority of the ruling elite and of the ethnic Latvian
population are under the influence of the nationalists and are not
ready to rationally recognise these problems.
In particular, discussions in the Latvian-language media about
possible changes in the citizenship law and about the danger of
forming a two-community state, are revealing in this respect.
Unfortunately, from the chronicle of the basic events of 1997 and all
stated above one can conclude that the basic tendencies of the
situation development in Latvia in the field of human rights as a
whole are rather disturbing. These indicate that there is some
"brewing" in the country, and one can hardly expect prevention of an
eventual interethnic conflict without help of the international
community.
Wise people say that recovery occurs through aggravation - if the body
is strong enough to resist the illness. Hopefully, the present
aggravation of the situation in Latvia will result in a recovery. But
chances to the recovery will be much greater, if it will be helped.
Gennady KOTOV
Co-Chairman of Latvian Human Rights Committee (F.I.D.H)
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