Latvia's Planned Eviction of Russians Violates Human Rights - President of BRICS Int'l Forum

The Russian Presidential Human Rights Council has called on the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to take note of the situation regarding the rights of Russians in Latvia, who may be evicted from the country for failing to pass the Latvian language exam.

More than 30 prominent figures from around the world, including intellectuals, politicians, and representatives of various fields, have signed an appeal facilitated by the Russian Cooperation Agency (Rossotrudnichestvo), Kirill Vyshinsky, head of the Human Rights Council Commission on International Cooperation and executive director of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, the parent company of the Sputnik News Agency, told Sputnik.

"It is very important day that we need to address the United Nations Securities and OSCE high commissioner because human rights violation is happening in Latvia," Anand Purnima, president of the BRICS International Forum, India, told Sputnik. "This is the essential bill which need to be signed by the people, leaders and organizations who are really working in the human rights sector and who really believe, that people should be secured. They should not be discriminate on behalf of language. Latvian Parliament Commission on Citizenship Migrate and social cohesion Mr. Ingmars Lidaka between 5,000-6,000 Russian citizens with residence permit, who have not passed the language test will receive official notices to leave Latvia. He stated, according to the current legislation, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Officers will demand their departure within three months."

Starting from September 2023, Russian citizens residing in Latvia who have not passed a Latvian language exam will receive letters from the Latvian Ministry of the Interior (MIA) ordering them to leave the country. Along with losing their residence permits, individuals will also be denied access to many services in Latvia, including the cessation of pension payments.

"The people who will be affected are senior citizens," Purnima explained. "They are living there from long time and they contributed to Latvian nation from the Soviet time. Though their many years of work, they have contributed to the economic foundation of Latvia. That's not right that they should be treated like this. So we requested to Human Rights Commission, and we wish that such action by the Latvian authorities are in flagrant violation of the United Nation International Convention on Civil and Political Right and the European Convention on Human Rights. We implore to intervene in this situation to prevent the forced eviction of Latvian residents of Russian citizenship who have been officially granted residence permits in the Republic."

The Russian HRC's appeal, obtained by the agency, is addressed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, commissioner for the Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatović, and OSCE high commissioner on national minorities, Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

"The HRC Commission calls for close attention and response to the situation that has arisen in Latvia. In Latvia, as is known, up to 6,000 Russian citizens were compelled to take an exam in the Russian language to confirm their residency permits, a requirement introduced by the Latvian Saeima [parliament] literally at the end of last year. They did not pass this exam and are now facing eviction from Latvia, in accordance with the new legislation," Vyshinsky said.

"We have adopted this appeal, and with the support of Rossotrudnichestvo we addressed various opinion leaders, famous people, intellectuals, representatives of scientific circles, politicians, leaders of public organizations in various countries," Vyshinsky stressed.

"We have received more than 30 letters supporting our appeal today. These letters come from various countries, including India, Serbia, Cyprus, Belgium, quite a big list, and many others. Moreover, letters of support continue to arrive from many countries, including Israel, Jordan, Belarus, and so on," Vyshinsky added.

In their appeal, Russian human rights advocates note that those most at risk of forced eviction are elderly individuals who have been living in Latvia since the time of the Soviet Union.

"These individuals have contributed to the economic foundation of this nation. Until the autumn of last year, Latvian legislation did not require them to pass a language test to confirm their ability to live in the Republic with Russian citizenship," the appeal states.

The authors note that these citizens have lived in Latvia for many years, which demonstrates that their knowledge of the Russian language and the Latvian language skills they possess are sufficient for leading their own lives and daily routines.

"What appears particularly cynical towards these individuals is the fact that the authorities require them not only to pass an exam, but also to fill in questionnaires about their position on the Russian Federation’s policy in the international arena. In essence, individuals are being asked not only to take language tests, but also to give an account of their political views and to document their condemnation of the actions of the Russian Federation," the appeal says.

The Russian Human Rights Council emphasizes that such actions by the Latvian authorities are in flagrant violation of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of and the European Convention on Human Rights.

"As a member of the Commission of International Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights President, Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights under the President of the Russian Federation, we are requesting all the authorities who are working in United Nations or other important organizations who are taking care of human rights should take immediate action. And we request all the agencies to take care Russian citizens, who are living in Latvia. They should be protected and they should get their right to live happy, and peaceful life in Latvia," Purnima highlighted.

In August 2022, the Latvian government decided to extend temporary residence permits in Latvia to Russian citizens only in exceptional cases and to grant permanent residence permits to them solely if they pass a state language exam at a level no lower than A2 by September 2023.

Earlier, the Latvian Saeima passed a bill to transition the entire education system to the Latvian language within three years, allowing the study of Russian only as a "minority language." Latvia has a population of around 1.8 million people, with approximately 40% being Russian speakers. Latvian is the sole official language in Latvia, while Russian is classified as a foreign language.