Duma hits out at Estonia's 'repression' of Russian minority
The Duma, the Russian Federation legislature, issued a statement Tuesday in which it condemned what it calls a "repressive" policy on the part of Estonia, in relation to its Russian-speaking minority.
The statement was published in English on the Duma website, and "resolutely condemns" Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Estonia, for their "repressive" policy "against the Russian-speaking population."
The statement claims the governments of all three nations "severely" violate human rights as enshrined in the countries' own Constitutions.
"The Baltic states have been pursuing a repressive policy and promoting nationalism and intolerance against Russians for a long time," the statement continues, referencing "brutal Russophobic persecution", which it says goes on in schools and kindergartens.
The Duma says that the three Baltic States' pursuit of education in their own languages and not in Russian is "criminal", while journalists are routinely harassed, history rewritten and cultural heritage destroyed, the statement goes on.
The statement also references theories of ethno-supremacy and the support of SS rallies, as against the repression of commemoration of the Baltic "liberators", ie. the Soviet Union, and lists international bodies, documents, norms and declarations which it says Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not live up to.
The statement was unanimously adopted by Duma deputies.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Andrew Whyte
