Russians in the Baltic countries and Georgia

In March it will be a year after death of Vasily Kononov, who was the commander of the partisan party of the First Latvian Partisan Division during the Great Patriotic War. In 2004 the Supreme Court of Latvia accused Kononov of military crime. On May 27th, 1944, the party headed by Kononov murdered nine residents of a Latvian village, suspecting they gave away 12 partisans to Nazis. Moscow has many times spoken in favor of Kononov, considering that its case fits in the policy of the Latvian authorities on discrimination of the Russian-speaking population.

Yesterday at the conference “Violation of rights of Russian population in the Baltic countries” the director of Moscow Bureau for Human Rights Alexander Brod said that his organization together with the Association of Lawyers of Russia was managed to draw attention of society and governments to supporting interests of Kononov. Even though Kononov is no more, the organization wants to appeal to the European Court on Human Rights for returning a good name to the veteran.

The lawyer Mikhail Ioffe sees reasons for discrimination of rights of the Russian-speaking population in Latvia in the fact that the political power in the country consists of relatives and supporters of people, who fought for Nazi Germany. He draws a parallel between Latvia and Nazi Germany: at the legislative level the society is divided into citizens and non-citizens, and this principle is based on purity of origin. Citizens are people, who are direct descendants of citizens of the Bourgeois Republic, which existed by 1940. To become a citizen of Latvia a person should undergo naturalization, which means recognition yourself as a descendant of occupants.

The president of Institutes of European Research Alexander Gaponenko said that Russians in Latvia were managed to gather 190,000 signatures and initiate the referendum on the state status of the Russian language, which will be held on February 18th. Such referendum will be the first in the former Soviet space. Most part of the Russian population in Latvia are non-citizens, who have no voting right.

Gaponenko called the ruling elites in the Baltic countries “a classic example of bureaucratic elite, which cannot manage a state effectively and uses discriminating division of population for holding the power.” The Latvian language is the only national language. The authorities of Latvia use the nationalist-socialist ideology and symbolic during marking the Day of Latvian SS Legionnaires.

The head of research programs of the Fund “Historic Memory” Vladimir Simindey paid attention to connection between human rights issues and history. He thinks that the current foreign and internal policy of the Baltic countries is based on efforts of approaching historic issues and their interpretation to solution of political problems. For several years the Russian government has been trying to improve relations with the Baltic countries through extension of economic ties, but it has little effect. According to Vladimir Simindey, neither growth of turnover not other economic initiatives can lead to positive changes in the humanitarian sphere.

The president of the Fund for Consolidation of the Russian and Georgian Peoples, Vladimir Khimeriki told VK: “Unfortunately after the dissolution of the Soviet Union such discrimination is taking place in many former Soviet republics, including the Baltic countries and Georgia. Our previous history is being spoken ill of, the history that united all our peoples in one big state, one geopolitical space. Unfortunately, discrimination against Russians goes on in the Baltic states. Even people who were born in the Baltic republics, who have been living there for years, who fought for the freedom of these countries, cannot even gain citizenship of them. I want to draw a parallel between them and Georgia. Unfortunately, Georgia chose this path as well. In Georgia the Russian language is discriminated against, Russian schools are being closed. However, Georgia admits the citizenship of Russian people, they are still citizens of Georgia. Nevertheless, a Museum of Occupation exists in Georgia too, the participants of the Great Patriotic War are discriminated against. Monuments to soldiers who fought for the freedom of Georgia are being destroyed. The Georgian population is modernized in a pro-European way. Even the Georgian language is oppressed in Georgia. Today the government has taken 10,000 English-speaking volunteers, who will teach Georgian children English from primary school, while their native language and culture pales into insignificance. I would like to say that Russia should take care of its compatriots in all countries. And Russia should be a leader in the former Soviet space. It should protect democratic liberties and human rights.”