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Post by TsarSamuil on May 10, 2011 11:56:27 GMT -5
Russia slams Latvia again on 'non-citizen' issue.
Russia expressed regret on Tuesday over Latvia's refusal to accept a UN recommendation on the abolition of the status of "non-citizen" in the country.
The UN Human Rights Council adopted on May 9 a series of 122 recommendations to Latvia under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), asking the Baltic country to undertake reforms in such areas as human rights, non-citizenship, discrimination of ethnic minorities, human trafficking, gender inequality and prison conditions.
Latvia agreed with 71 recommendations, but rejected seven outright, including Russia's proposal to abolish the status of "non-citizen".
"It is regretful that the recommendation to abolish non-citizenship was rejected by Riga without any explanation," the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for human rights, Konstantin Dolgov, said.
The Russian diplomat also expressed hope that the Latvian authorities would study the recommendations closely and "act upon them in an appropriate manner."
The Latvian parliament created the category of "non-citizen" in 1991 and it largely applies to Russians who moved to then socialist republic during the Soviet era.
The Baltic state, with a population of 2.3 million, currently has around 350,000 people without citizenship. Non-citizens are not considered stateless persons under Latvian law but lack full rights, with the main restriction depriving "non-citizens" of the right to vote.
Russia has repeatedly called on the EU and UN to address infringements of human rights of "non-citizens" in the Baltic States. Estonia also has several thousands "non-citizens."
MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by TsarSamuil on Jun 22, 2011 0:43:16 GMT -5
Oh! Here's that thread I was looking for...
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Russia urges Estonia to respect ethnic minorities - Foreign ministry.
Russia has called on Estonia to take all the necessary measures to protect the rights of ethnic minorities and abolish the status of "non-citizen", Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The UN Human Rights Council adopted on June 9 a series of 124 recommendations to Estonia under the Universal Periodic Review, asking the country to undertake reforms in such areas as human rights, non-citizenship, discrimination of ethnic minorities, human trafficking, gender inequality and prison conditions.
Estonia agreed with 81 recommendations, but rejected 20 and left 16 for further consideration.
"Unfortunately, Estonian side refused to support several important recommendations...mainly, four Russian recommendations, concerning discrimination of ethnic minorities and non-citizenship, the most acute Estonian problems of human rights, had not been adopted," the statement said.
The category of "non-citizen" was created by the Latvian parliament in 1991 and it largely applies to Russians who moved to then socialist republic during the Soviet era.
Ethnic Russians account for about 30% of Estonia's 1.34 million population. Because of the Estonian-language element of the citizenship test, many have "non-citizen" status, which denies them a national passport and prevents them from voting.
"Non-citizens" are not considered stateless persons in Estonia as well as in Latvia, but lack full rights, with the main restriction depriving "non-citizens" of the right to vote.
Out of 2 million people of Latvian population, around 350,000 have a status of "non-citizens."
International human rights organizations and the UN have repeatedly called on Estonia to make Russian its second official language, but successive governments have not changed the policy.
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti)
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Post by White Cossack on Jun 22, 2011 17:01:58 GMT -5
Russia doesn't need to urge anything to fucking Estonia. It needs to enforce.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Aug 11, 2011 16:05:34 GMT -5
Vid, rt.com/news/estonia-defense-ministry-shooting/Explosion and shooting at Estonian Defense Ministry. RT.com 11 August, 2011, 18:33 A gunman who had been occupying the Estonian Defense Ministry in Tallinn on Thursday has committed suicide. Authorities confirmed there had been shooting and an explosion inside the ministry. There were no other casualties. The man, armed with two guns, smoke grenades and an explosive device, burst into the building forcing the evacuation of all employees. Police cordoned off the area. The Estonian Prosecutor’s Office has identified the attacker as Karen Drambyan, 57. The Armenian-born man was a member of the Estonian United Left Party, which represents the Russian community. The statement issued by the office dismissed reports that Drambyan had taken two persons hostage as had earlier been reported. It also denied earlier reports that he was a former member of the military. Estonian PM Andrus Ansip suggested that the attack could have been inspired by the recent massacre in Norway. An eight-member special police taskforce entered the building at 4:42 pm. There were four shots fired inside the building, then a blast was heard followed by three more shots. A second special police task force accompanied by three doctors entered the ministry building at 4:52 pm. Two rescue teams and a vehicle with bomb disposal experts are also at the scene. The siege ended at 5.20 pm local time when a police spokesperson announced that "the attacker had been neutralized” and “no one else had been hurt." Defense Minister Mart Laar was not present in the building at the time of the attack. |
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 18, 2011 13:07:26 GMT -5
Ethnic Russian Party Wins Latvia's General Elections.
Novinite.com
World | September 18, 2011, Sunday| 266 views
Latvia's pro-Russian Harmony Center party has won more votes than any other party in the country's early parliamentary elections.
With 95% of the votes counted, the Harmony Center party, whose MPs are almost entirely ethnic Russians, has won 28.54%, followed by the Reform party of outgoing President Valdis Zatlers, which won 20.78%, DPA reported citing the Latvian Central Electoral Commission. Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovski's Unity bloc came in third with 18.81%.
With no party winning an outright majority, a coalition government is expected to be formed within 10 days.
Both Harmony Centre and Unity are expected to court Zatlers' party and a third smaller party as coalition partners. Harmony Center co-leader Nils Usakovs on Saturday spoke out against talks with the Unity bloc.
Saturday's election followed a referendum to hold the elections three years earlier, after Zatlers accused Parliament of not doing enough to fight corruption and the oligarchs who dominate the economy.
Official data showed about 56% of Latvia's nearly 1.5 million eligible voters participated Saturday, down from 63% in October 2010.
The Harmony Center party is formally multi-ethnic but it technically represents the interests of the sizable Russian minority in Latvia.
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti points out that "this is the first time in 20 years since the tiny Baltic state restored its independence that a party defending interests of the country's largest ethnic minority is leading in parliamentary polls."
Latvia has a total population of 2.3 million, of which almost 30% are ethnic Russians.
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Post by White Cossack on Sept 18, 2011 13:16:40 GMT -5
LOL! Well done.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 24, 2011 6:21:44 GMT -5
Russians join Poles for minority protest in Lithuania.
IAR
23.09.2011 14:50
Polish organisations in Lithuania have been joined by representatives of ethnic Russians in their protest against breach of minority education rights.
A demonstration expected to gather some 5,000 pupils of Polish schools in Lithuania supported by their Russian colleagues has been called in front of the parliament in Vilnius.
The protesters are demanding the annulment of the national education system reform, which introduces obligatory Lithuanian language instruction in history and geography classes as well as a high school leaving exam in Lithuanian at the same level as for students at all general schools.
The leaving exam is to become binding as of 2013. The new law also envisages the possibility of closing ethnic minority schools in locations where Lithuanian schools cannot secure an adequate number of pupils.
A special bilateral team of experts has been called by the governments in Warsaw and Vilnius to work out a speedy compromise on the issue. However, no breakthrough in resolving key problems has been achieved during the first two sessions of the Polish-Lithuanian group. (ss/jb)
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Post by balticboy on Sept 24, 2011 23:01:57 GMT -5
Lithuanians are not anti-Slavic, anyone who believes this has a wrong idea. For centuries Lithuania was joined with Belarussians in the Grand Dutchy of Lithuania. In Lithuania the Russians have citizenship.
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Post by boroslav on Sept 25, 2011 7:55:50 GMT -5
I got the impression that more than a few Finns are very anti-Russian.
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Post by balticboy on Sept 25, 2011 9:03:55 GMT -5
I got the impression that more than a few Finns are very anti-Russian.
Listen, the Lithuanians are not anti-Russian just because Russia is Russian. It is because of what happened to them during the days of the USSR and also because they were forcefully brought into the Russian Empire. During the days of the latter they were subjected to Russification.
During the Soviet days they were deported en masse to Siberia and had to face the usual killings of family members which take place during an occupation.
For these reasons there are feelings of animosity. It is natural that people will feel hatred for their occupier. I would like to ask the Slavs here not to hate Lithuania for no reason. Russians in the country have citizenship.
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Post by galitzky on Sept 25, 2011 13:05:30 GMT -5
Go russia !!
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Post by balticboy on Sept 25, 2011 13:11:19 GMT -5
Yes, go Russia. That is the same attitude which makes Baltic states hate Russia today. This attitude of not caring about the Baltic states, just seeking to dominate and exploit them.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 25, 2011 15:31:37 GMT -5
Eh... we think the Baltics are mostly irrelevant n insignificant.. what we want is for the Slavs to have their rights. Lithuania is much more ok than Latvia which is a trouble country. Latvians shouldn't whine about Russian domination since they so willingly embrace NATO/USA domination..
If it wasn't for Latvia being as extreme as it is (celebrating SS etc. n treating Slavs like shit), the Baltics wouldn't be on the radar that much, as if there's not bigger things to worry about?
As for what Soviets did, I think the Russians were the biggest victims of the USSR.
Maybe Lithuania should be a good sport n tell Latvia to behave better?..
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Post by boroslav on Sept 25, 2011 17:01:49 GMT -5
Sorry, I messed up something, Finnland doesn't belong to the Baltics.
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Post by TsarSamuil on Sept 25, 2011 17:36:05 GMT -5
Latvians are Fins, kind of.
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