Цитаты
Человек должен заново открыть в своей душе глубочайший смысл ответственности перед миром, что означает ответственность перед чем-то высшим, чем сам человек. Вацлав Гавел |
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Statement in connection with events around referendum in Latvia about giving the status of the second state language to Russian
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 In Latvia various public forces intently waited for decision of the Constitutional court about fate of nation-wide referendum fixed on February 18 about giving the status of the state language to Russian. And now the Constitutional court of Latvia rejected the demand of 30 deputies of Seim to cancel the referendum.
In Latvia considerable part of Russian-speaking people has no status of citizenship. Confrontation between nationalistic forces and Russian-speaking population takes place in the country; disturbance of franchise for considerable part of Russian-speaking people is condemned by official European structures. Under these conditions recognition of Russian as the second state language is really crucial for Latvia not just regarding equalization of rights of Lettish-speaking and Russian-speaking population but also for determination of language of official circulation of documents, language of teaching in secondary and higher educational institutions and other most important spheres.
It is absolutely clear considering the above-stated that Russian-speaking population eagerly desires approval of Russian as the state language. Nationalistic forces categorically demand to leave the single state language, namely Lettish. And such demand is based not just upon unwillingness to recognize the language of “occupants” but also upon quite objective apprehensions: Russian is most wide-spread in a small country, majority of citizens of Latvia speaks it, and its recognition as the official one may promote assimilation of non-Russians into Lettish cultural space and that of the Lettish – into Russian cultural space, with subsequent regretful fate of both Lettish language and ethnic culture.
Experience of civilized countries in this matter is various: for example, in USA a notion of “state language” is absent at all: English is accepted by default as the most wide-spread language and legalized only in legislation of some states. In Belgium, Canada several languages are recognized as state ones. In France, Germany one state language is recognized.
Thus, in Latvia various variants of official proportion of languages are possible, and at present fierce combat of warring forces around this serious problem is starting. Nation-wide referendums serve as tools for such combat like this is accepted in civilized countries. Nationalistic forces were collecting signatures for referendum on ban for teaching in Russian at schools, and now, on the initiative of the society “Native language” more than 180 thousand signatures were collected about holding of referendum on introduction of amendments into the Constitution of Latvia giving the status of the second state language to Russian.
But a serious scandal started at once: nationalistic association “Everything – to Latvia!”-TB/DNNL and majority of deputies from the party of prime-minister “Unity” addressed the Constitutional court (CC) with request to estimate legality of referendum basing upon fundamental laws of Latvia. The application also includes stopping of referendum that was already announced and fixed for February 18. Some other groups in Latvian parliament did not determine their position on this problem yet.
At the same time opponents of referendum do not conceal their intentions: actually they are interested not in juridical legality of referendum but they wish not to admit Russian as the second state language by all means. As the representative of EL-TB/DNNL group Rainis Dzintars stated, “our wish is to prove as soon as possible that the issue of Lettish as the only state language is not a subject of discussion”.
Leader of society “Native language” Vladimir Linderman stated that in case of cancellation of referendum people would go out to the streets and mass protest actions would begin. Illegitimacy of adoption of statement of nationalistic block was also confirmed by ex-chairman of the CC Aivar Eidzinsh: “The Constitution envisages a specific procedure of initiation of referendum. So it’s impossible to assert now that the referendum is anti-constitutional. If CC decides to bring an action it would act against the Constitution itself. This is just a political game. Politicking! The ethnic card is simply played again, that’s all. I don’t see a juridical ground in application of ethnic block into the CC”.
Director of Moscow bureau for human rights Alexander Brod: “The fate of referendum may be a reason for increase of confrontation in Latvian society. There remains to hope that politicians and public figures of both camps would show wisdom and would not admit dangerous development of events”. |
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