|
'Language is effectively abolished.' UN finally recognizes discrimination against Russians
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.by Viktor Lavrinenko [REGNUM] Last year, the Estonian authorities decided to liquidate schools with Russian as the language of instruction on their territory. Representatives of the Russian-speaking community of Estonia (25% of the population of the state), realizing that it would not be possible to convince the government, filed a complaint with the UN. And suddenly the international authorities had their say. United Nations experts considered the fact of persecution of the Russian language in Estonia as a manifestation of discrimination against national minorities. But this conclusion is unlikely to force the Estonian authorities to reconsider their policy. STALIN CAME UP WITH THIS The law adopted last year by the Estonian Parliament provides for the transfer of educational institutions of national minorities to Estonian-language education from 2024. Kindergartens, as well as the first and fourth grades of basic schools, will be the first to switch to Estonian. The transition of the twelfth grade should be ensured by 2032. According to the approved action plan, from 2024 even hobby groups at general education schools, as well as extracurricular activities, will be held in Estonian. Only private schools fall under the exception, where education in Russian can continue after 2024. In this regard, Estonia turned out to be somewhat liberal neighboring Latvia, where it was forbidden to teach in Russian even in such educational institutions. However, the other day, three UN human rights experts expressed serious concern over the law adopted in Estonia in December last year, which creates the basis and conditions for the elimination of Russian-speaking education. “Recent legislative amendments appear to severely restrict education in Estonian minority languages,” said Fernand de Warenne (UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues), Alexandra Xanthi (UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights) and Farida Shahid (Special Rapporteur on Education). ). The statement of the UN experts was published on the official website of the organization on August 17. According to them, the law adopted by the Riigikogu (Parliament) on 12 December introduces restrictive and potentially discriminatory measures affecting the rights of ethnic and linguistic minorities in the field of education. UN experts state that the legislation of the state allows children from national minorities to study their native language and culture only to a clearly insufficient extent. “In other words, the language of minorities has actually been abolished as a means of education,” experts say. They expressed particular concern about how the new provisions of the law could affect members of the Russian-speaking minority, who make up a significant part of the country's population. “Now the law is contrary to international human rights documents ,” the UN Special Rapporteurs emphasized. The Estonian authorities are predictably trying to disavow the opinion of the representatives of the international organization. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that "it is not reasonable to link the transition to education in the Estonian language with the guarantee of human rights". They say that the elimination of Russian-language education is “part of the integration policy,” from which Russian children themselves will supposedly benefit. “This is done in order to provide all children, regardless of their native language, with the opportunity to receive a quality education in Estonian, create common opportunities in the labor market and increase social cohesion,” the minister stressed. Tsakhkna also promised that the Estonian government would definitely "respond to the appeal of UN experts within the prescribed time frame." This promise alarmed human rights activist Mstislav Rusakov , head of the NGO Russian School of Estonia (RSE), who had previously been persecuted by the authorities for his activities. It was Rusakov who informed Fernand de Warenne about discrimination against Russian schoolchildren in Estonia last year, after which the RSE provided the UN with all the necessary facts. “I can already imagine what the government will tell them… Russian schools were invented by Stalin for the purpose of Russification. In the USSR, they wanted to destroy nationalities and create a single community. And now Russian schools are fulfilling Putin's plan to split the Estonian society. And in general, Estonia is kind to national minorities and constantly finances them,” the human rights activist notes sarcastically. DEPRIVATION OF IDENTITY Of the politicians defending the interests of the Russian community in Estonia, the most active now is the deputy of the Riigikogu from the opposition Center Party Alexander Chaplygin. According to him, UN experts only confirmed the obvious: the Estonian government openly discriminates against national minorities living in the country. “Why should Estonian language learning take place in such a way as to deprive children of any opportunity to learn in their native language, thereby preserving their national identity?” the parliamentarian asks. According to him, over the past thirty years, Estonia has mastered huge sums for various programs of "integration" of the Russian minority, including at the expense of money allocated by the European Union. Estonian authorities got a taste of the deportation of Russian activists “If we have not been able to properly teach children the Estonian language in special lessons, where does the confidence come from that the new government program will achieve its goal? After all, it is still unclear who and how will teach Russian children and how teaching subjects in a foreign language will affect the overall quality of education, ”emphasizes Chaplygin. By the way, experts note that former Russian schools cannot be automatically translated into Estonian - special textbooks and programs of the “transitional” period are needed, which are not yet available. There is a frank lack of teachers who are ready to teach Russian children in the state language. However, Chaplygin adds that the main problem here is not technical difficulties, but that the plans of the Estonian government actually deprive Russian children of the right to preserve their national identity. “In addition to the obvious discrimination, such an approach carries with it another danger: children will no longer perceive themselves as Russians, Ukrainians or Jews, while at the same time failing to become a full-fledged part of the Estonian ethnos. This is a direct path to marginalization: people without their cultural roots, unable to fit into the new cultural reality,” the deputy notes. Chaplygin predicts that the Estonian government, although they are very fond of ranting about the country's belonging to the "civilized world community", will prefer to ignore the recommendations of the UN. “In ten years, our society will face the fact that hundreds of thousands of insufficiently educated and deprived of cultural identity citizens will go out into a great life to build our common future,” concludes the parliamentarian. ALSO ESTONIANS In many ways, the Estonian authorities, in drawing up their plans, rely on the fact of the obedience of Russian teachers, most of whom do not publicly criticize the planned “reform” of education. They do not speak out not because they agree with everything, but because they are afraid of losing their jobs. “Why do Russian teachers not resist the liquidation of Russian education? Because they don't want to be out of a job. Of course, they will still be left without it. But maybe you can make it to retirement. Do not rush to condemn,” says Mstislav Rusakov. Some of the younger generation of Russian-speaking teachers, demonstrating loyalty to the authorities, are not even silent - they loudly express their approval of their plans. So, the music teacher from Narva Alina Voronchikhina became the favorite of the semi-official Estonian media , who said about Russian schoolchildren: “ They were born in Estonia. And we create some kind of wrong identity. Well, what are we Russians? We don't even live in Russia. Yes, we speak Russian. But we also speak Estonian. It's time to understand that we are also Estonians . ” Opposition publicist Dimitry Klensky was indignant at Voronchikhina's words: “What does a young teacher mean by “Estonian”, what does it mean to be one? It's like: by blood, by culture, by mentality, by faith, by worldview, by political convictions, by Russophobia, finally? Alina Voronchikhina considers the local Russians to be an ethnic ballast (by the way, almost a third of the country's population!), who "it's time to understand" that they must voluntarily-compulsorily assimilate through the Estonianization of education (which the UN condemns) and serve Estonia. The latter is clear. But at the same time, you will have to assert yourself in the field of Russophobia.” Klensky recalls the Mamluks and Janissaries - the military units of Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, created from among the boys of enslaved peoples, including Christian ones, who were captured and trained in military affairs. “She (Voronchikhina – ed. note) will go far, maybe soon she will be nominated to the Riigikogu… This is the red price for what is assigned to local Russians/Russian-speakers for their public confessions that they are ashamed to be “Russian”, and even for outright Russophobia. The publicist gave an example from the same Narva. There, the director of the city museum Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova , securing the director's chair, said that on the wall of the Narva fortress by May 9, a poster with the inscription in English "Putin is a war criminal" was posted and on her initiative, facing the Russian Ivangorod “The latter also concerns the career growth of chief editors and many journalists of the Russian-language media in Estonia ,” concludes Dmitry Klensky, whose articles the largest Estonian newspapers, of course, do not publish on principle. Posted by: badanov 2023-08-23 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=676520 |