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OSCE High Commissioner Lamberto Zannier arrived in Latvia to study situation with Russian schools

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OSCE High Commissioner Lamberto Zannier arrived in Latvia to study situation with Russian schools


06.03.2019

Photo: gov.md

OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Lamberto Zannier arrived in Riga. He met with the representative of Russian Schools Staff in Latvia Alexander Kuzmin, the Co-Chairman of Latvian Human Rights Committee, Alla Berezovskaya writes.

The OSCE Commissioner was handed a resolution of All-Latvian Parents’ Meeting, which was held in spring of 2018. About a thousand parents of students of Russian schools, students, schoolchildren and other representatives of Russian community from all over Latvia participated in it. The document expressed the opinion of the discriminatory nature of the reform of educational system.

The authors of the resolution unanimously supported the opinion on the need for full-fledged school education for Russian-speaking children in their native language in accordance with international standards. 

According to Alexander Kuzmin, he told Mr. Zanier about the active extrusion of Russian language from preschool education that had begun in Latvia, and drew the Commissioner's attention to the harassment faced by the defenders of Russian schools and members of the Parent Assembly. 

He also reminded the Commissioner of the Appeal of Russian-speaking Residents of Latvia to world community, which collected about 4000 signatures during the protests. Lamberto Zannier made it clear that he was aware of these protest actions, as he regularly received detailed reports from both the LHRC and Latvian social activists. 

In addition to the representative of Russian Schools Staff, the foreign guest spoke with the Deputy of Latvian Seimas Igor Pimenov and the Deputy of the Jurmala City Council, human rights activist Elizaveta Krivtsova. 

Igor Pimenov confirmed that the Commissioner had condemned the shift of schools into Latvian without actually agreeing with parents of the schoolchildren.

Lambert Zanier has more meetings ahead in the ministries of foreign affairs and education. He is also going to visit schools in Riga and Daugavpils, talk with officials, teachers and students. 

Russkiy Mir

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