Doc. 8375
14 April 1999

Rights of national minorities in Latvia

Motion for an order

presented by Mr Glotov and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

1.       On 18 March 1999, the Saeima of Latvia adopted a draft law on the state language in its second reading. This draft law is unequivocally discriminatory towards national minorities – it contradicts Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Hague recommendations on the rights of minorities for education in their native tongue, recommendations on the linguistic rights of national minorities adopted in Oslo, and a number of resolutions and recommendations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

2.       The draft law defines the Latvian language as the state language, and all other languages (excluding the Liv language which is spoken by a few dozen people) are considered in the context of this law as foreign. The status of the languages of the national minorities is not envisaged. Such a situation in a state where among the population of 2.4 million people about one million consider the Russian language as their native tongue, and 740 thousand are ethnic Russians, is absurd and unjust.

3.       The right of almost half of the population to use their native tongue in bodies of state power, in law enforcement bodies and courts, in local self-government, as well as in industrial and public spheres, is being taken away. The consequences of the final adoption of this law will be most grave for the regions in which non-Latvians constitute the majority of the population.

4.       Some provisions of the adopted draft law constitute an open interference in entrepreneurial activity and private life. In particular, the draft law contains a condition of obligatory interpretation into the state language of proceedings at meetings of non-state structures. Some articles impede the activities of national societies, publishing houses and the press of national minorities.

5.       The law envisages that education in Latvia is carried out in the Latvian language. In combination with the discriminatory law on education, adopted in October 1998, it means infringement of the right of the representatives of national minorities to receive education in their native tongue.

6.       A good command of the language of the titular nation of the state of residence is an important precondition for successful integration of national minorities into the society. But it goes without saying that forced imposition of the use of language, discrimination on the basis of language contradict the norms of international law, increase public antagonisms and are incompatible with the principles of the Council of Europe.

7.       The laws on the state language and on education have been criticised by the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities, experts of the Council of Europe, rapporteurs on Latvia of the Parliamentary Assembly Monitoring Committee. Unfortunately, their recommendations have not been taken into consideration and the policy of the authorities of Latvia on the issues of language and education remained in direct opposition to the principles set out in the conventions of the Council of Europe, in the OSCE documents, contradicts the position of the Parliamentary Assembly confirmed, for example, in the recommendation on the access of minorities to higher education adopted from a report of the Committee on Culture and Education in 1997.

8.       Such an attitude tends to undermine the authority of the Parliamentary Assembly and devalues the documents adopted by the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly. In this context, the Assembly requests the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Monitoring Committee and the Committee on Culture and Education to analyse the above-mentioned laws, adopted in the Latvian Republic, from the standpoint of observance of the rights of national minorities, hold consultations with Latvian authorities aimed at introducing corrections into the provisions of these laws, and report back on results.

Signed : ¹

Glotov, Russia, UEL

Christodoulides, Cyprus, UEL

Columberg, Switzerland, EPP/CD

Khunov, Ukraine, UEL

Kirilov, Bulgaria, SOC

Korakas, Greece, UEL

Lento, Italy, UEL

Lukin, Russia, LDR

Oliynyk, Ukraine, UEL

Rakhansky, Ukraine, UEL

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group