© collage BaltNews.lv
More than 300.000 stateless Russians live in Estonia and Latvia which makes them the most numerous European people without citizenship along with the Roma. The UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes voiced these data published on the organization’s website.
Fernand de Varennes report covers the rights of national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities. Giving the figures and pondering about the growing number of stateless persons the speaker shared his conclusions that the predominance of one people in this category is not accidental but it is an evidence of "targeted policies and practices".
According to the UN official, almost all stateless people are Russian or Gypsy in Europe . And almost all Russians from this group live in Estonia and Latvia. This is a consequence of the countries' policy launched after the former USSR republics gained independence. Thus, more than 300.000 Russians were deprived of citizenship.
Moreover, the Baltic countries are conducting a purposeful struggle against the Russian language which causes outrage in Russia and among some representatives of the international community.
Russkiy Mir
