Latvia and Estonia wait for non-citizens to die out themselves
The other day, the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) presented a report highlighting work plans for the coming years. The report, among other plans, provides material that states that UNCHR employees are going to solve the problem of stateless persons. According to the most modest estimates of the UN service, there are about 10 millions of such people on the planet, and they literally live all over the world: from Australia to Europe. The largest number of people without citizenship is recorded in the European Union and the United States.
UNCHR reports that experts are going to solve the problem of non-citizens, over the next ten years. As soon as this information was disseminated by the United Nations, such Baltic countries as Estonia and Latvia immediately strained.
Despite the fact that the authorities of these states declare measures taken to solve the problems of non-citizens, the number of persons residing in Latvia and Estonia on a permanent basis and not having received the passports of these states is large. In Latvia, non-citizens are about 270 thousand (13% of the total population of the country), in Estonia - 90 thousand (approximately 7% of the population).
Interestingly, the authorities of Latvia and Estonia believe that the UNCHR initiative does not apply to their states, because according to the law of Latvia, non-citizens are not considered stateless.
For reference: stateless persons - persons who do not have citizenship or nationality and do not possess evidence that would allow to establish whether these persons belong to any nationality or nationality.
The Latvian authorities believe that local non-citizens have evidence, as it were, but they are not exactly as the authorities need. At the same time, official Riga even tries to outwit international agencies fighting for the rights of stateless persons, demonstrating that non-citizens have a passport. Here are just a passport that is not the same as a “full-fledged” Latvian citizen. The passports of non-citizens and the color is different, and the owners of this more than strange document are referred to in it as alien - strangers (or in a more decent translation - foreigners). Accordingly, with the rights of the owners of the "passports" of non-citizens, things are not so simple. Baltic non-citizens cannot elect, but in some cases can be elected, consisting in political parties. The question immediately arises: who should be considered the electorate of a party non-citizen, if other non-citizens have no right to vote? .. Moreover, non-citizens do not have the right to work in a number of state bodies, they are not subject to military service, as the authorities of Latvia and Estonia secretly consider non-citizens to be untrustworthy - capable of leading the country in a direction other than that dictated by the Big Overseas brother.
Tens of thousands of non-citizens are not able to get a regular (civilian) passport, despite the fact that they have been living in Latvia and Estonia since the Soviet times.
And so, in spite of such a monstrous violation of human rights, none of the “democratic friends” is zealous in stopping the violation of the rights of residents in Latvia and Estonia. Why not zealous? Because the largest percentage of non-citizens is the Russian-speaking population of the Baltic countries. And if we are talking about the Russian-speaking population, then the world's horns are silent ...
The UN service seems to have hinted to the Latvian and Estonian authorities that it is time to solve the issue of issuing normal passports to non-citizens with rights, but in the Baltic States they decided that the UN does not appeal to them at all.
Latvian lawyer Juris Jansons told the BBC in an interview with the following:
But this person is obliged to protect human rights, but it seems that the Baltic even in the concept of "ombudsman" decided to put their meaning. If you follow the logic of Jansons, then it turns out that non-citizens are themselves to blame for the fact that they still do not have a civil passport. It can also be concluded from the words “ombudsman” that official Riga is not going to reduce the number of non-citizens to zero by issuing normal passports to them even over the next decade. Tens of thousands of people who have been living in the Baltic for years and, nevertheless, turned into outcasts in the very center of Europe, this seems to be a normal practice and perspective for Latvia and Estonia.
Earlier, Mr. Jansons stated that there are no violations of the rights of any national minorities, including Russians, in Latvia at all. In this phrase, expressed by the “defender of human rights”, there are two false components at once. Firstly, the impossibility of giving one’s civic duty by means of a will or service in state structures is already a violation of human rights. Secondly, it is strange to call Russians in Latvia the “minority”. Formally, yes, there are more Latvians in Latvia, but according to the most modest estimates, there are about 27% of the population of Russians in this country. And there are also such regions in Latvia, where Russians and Latvians are almost equal. For example, in Latgale live about 45% of Latvians and about 40% of Russians (the rest are Poles, Belarusians, Estonians, Lithuanians, etc.) There are also territories where Russians dominate altogether. One example is Daugavpils, where Russians are more than 53%. There are more than two thirds of them (!) - non-citizens.
After the UNCHR report, the Baltic (Latvian first) authorities expect that their UN initiative will not touch, and that the situation with people without citizenship will not change further. But why are the authorities of Latvia and Estonia so stubbornly holding onto maintaining the status of non-citizens? As already noted, non-citizens for the Baltic authorities are primarily politically unreliable. After all, if you give civilian passports to everyone living in Latvia and Estonia since the Soviet times, it turns out that, for example, Russian and Russian-speaking people have a real opportunity to achieve an acceptable result in the elections. But Tallinn and Riga cannot allow this to happen, otherwise their course of European lending and the collapse of their own production for the benefit of the main EU leaders could be threatened. The only thing Riga and Tallinn need is time. They say, wait, and over time, non-citizens themselves will disappear ... As veterans, as supporters of integration with Russia. And the society will be "homogeneous in Europe" - with "correct guidelines." And there will not be enough 10 years for such a process for Latvia and Estonia - Latvians and Estonians are trying to tell UN officials about this.
And in general, in the current situation, the Balts come true in the Baltic: looking at the floor and whistling, they pretend that the UN initiative is not for them ... They think that segregation under cover of EU symbols will last for a very long time without consequences.
UNCHR reports that experts are going to solve the problem of non-citizens, over the next ten years. As soon as this information was disseminated by the United Nations, such Baltic countries as Estonia and Latvia immediately strained.
Despite the fact that the authorities of these states declare measures taken to solve the problems of non-citizens, the number of persons residing in Latvia and Estonia on a permanent basis and not having received the passports of these states is large. In Latvia, non-citizens are about 270 thousand (13% of the total population of the country), in Estonia - 90 thousand (approximately 7% of the population).
Interestingly, the authorities of Latvia and Estonia believe that the UNCHR initiative does not apply to their states, because according to the law of Latvia, non-citizens are not considered stateless.
For reference: stateless persons - persons who do not have citizenship or nationality and do not possess evidence that would allow to establish whether these persons belong to any nationality or nationality.
The Latvian authorities believe that local non-citizens have evidence, as it were, but they are not exactly as the authorities need. At the same time, official Riga even tries to outwit international agencies fighting for the rights of stateless persons, demonstrating that non-citizens have a passport. Here are just a passport that is not the same as a “full-fledged” Latvian citizen. The passports of non-citizens and the color is different, and the owners of this more than strange document are referred to in it as alien - strangers (or in a more decent translation - foreigners). Accordingly, with the rights of the owners of the "passports" of non-citizens, things are not so simple. Baltic non-citizens cannot elect, but in some cases can be elected, consisting in political parties. The question immediately arises: who should be considered the electorate of a party non-citizen, if other non-citizens have no right to vote? .. Moreover, non-citizens do not have the right to work in a number of state bodies, they are not subject to military service, as the authorities of Latvia and Estonia secretly consider non-citizens to be untrustworthy - capable of leading the country in a direction other than that dictated by the Big Overseas brother.
Tens of thousands of non-citizens are not able to get a regular (civilian) passport, despite the fact that they have been living in Latvia and Estonia since the Soviet times.
And so, in spite of such a monstrous violation of human rights, none of the “democratic friends” is zealous in stopping the violation of the rights of residents in Latvia and Estonia. Why not zealous? Because the largest percentage of non-citizens is the Russian-speaking population of the Baltic countries. And if we are talking about the Russian-speaking population, then the world's horns are silent ...
The UN service seems to have hinted to the Latvian and Estonian authorities that it is time to solve the issue of issuing normal passports to non-citizens with rights, but in the Baltic States they decided that the UN does not appeal to them at all.
Latvian lawyer Juris Jansons told the BBC in an interview with the following:
In the Baltic republics they believe that the UN campaign refers to a different situation, and all non-citizens can naturalize and become citizens.
UN is going to eliminate stateless. In Latvia, a completely different situation. I do not know how they are going to do it, but I think it has nothing to do with us.
UN is going to eliminate stateless. In Latvia, a completely different situation. I do not know how they are going to do it, but I think it has nothing to do with us.
But this person is obliged to protect human rights, but it seems that the Baltic even in the concept of "ombudsman" decided to put their meaning. If you follow the logic of Jansons, then it turns out that non-citizens are themselves to blame for the fact that they still do not have a civil passport. It can also be concluded from the words “ombudsman” that official Riga is not going to reduce the number of non-citizens to zero by issuing normal passports to them even over the next decade. Tens of thousands of people who have been living in the Baltic for years and, nevertheless, turned into outcasts in the very center of Europe, this seems to be a normal practice and perspective for Latvia and Estonia.
Earlier, Mr. Jansons stated that there are no violations of the rights of any national minorities, including Russians, in Latvia at all. In this phrase, expressed by the “defender of human rights”, there are two false components at once. Firstly, the impossibility of giving one’s civic duty by means of a will or service in state structures is already a violation of human rights. Secondly, it is strange to call Russians in Latvia the “minority”. Formally, yes, there are more Latvians in Latvia, but according to the most modest estimates, there are about 27% of the population of Russians in this country. And there are also such regions in Latvia, where Russians and Latvians are almost equal. For example, in Latgale live about 45% of Latvians and about 40% of Russians (the rest are Poles, Belarusians, Estonians, Lithuanians, etc.) There are also territories where Russians dominate altogether. One example is Daugavpils, where Russians are more than 53%. There are more than two thirds of them (!) - non-citizens.
After the UNCHR report, the Baltic (Latvian first) authorities expect that their UN initiative will not touch, and that the situation with people without citizenship will not change further. But why are the authorities of Latvia and Estonia so stubbornly holding onto maintaining the status of non-citizens? As already noted, non-citizens for the Baltic authorities are primarily politically unreliable. After all, if you give civilian passports to everyone living in Latvia and Estonia since the Soviet times, it turns out that, for example, Russian and Russian-speaking people have a real opportunity to achieve an acceptable result in the elections. But Tallinn and Riga cannot allow this to happen, otherwise their course of European lending and the collapse of their own production for the benefit of the main EU leaders could be threatened. The only thing Riga and Tallinn need is time. They say, wait, and over time, non-citizens themselves will disappear ... As veterans, as supporters of integration with Russia. And the society will be "homogeneous in Europe" - with "correct guidelines." And there will not be enough 10 years for such a process for Latvia and Estonia - Latvians and Estonians are trying to tell UN officials about this.
And in general, in the current situation, the Balts come true in the Baltic: looking at the floor and whistling, they pretend that the UN initiative is not for them ... They think that segregation under cover of EU symbols will last for a very long time without consequences.
Information