U.S. English Foundation Research
RUSSIA
Language Research
4. Minority groups: To what extent are minority groups in this country disadvantaged by their language?
Updated (June 2005)
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PASSES A RESOLUTION IN DEFENCE OF A NATIONAL MINORITY IN RUSSIA
The European Parliament, at its plenary session in Strasbourg, unanimously passed a resolution on the condition of the Mari minority in the Russian Federation. The resolution states that this minority faces considerable difficulties in obtaining education in their native language, since there is no secondary or higher school with Mari as the language of instruction. Moreover, the publication of Mari textbooks has declined recently.
The resolution calls on Russian federal and local authorities to respect the freedom of press and to refrain from undue political interference into the affairs of educational and cultural institutions. Russia should also respect its obligations under international law concerning the protection and development of minority languages and cultures.
Altogether, there are 28 million of people in Russia who belong to different national minorities. Four million of them speak Finno-Ugric languages. Just some twenty books a year are published in the Mordovian language, spoken by around a million people. This language is neither taught at schools nor used in the media.
According to the last census, there are 604,000 Maris living in the Mari Republic, located to the east of Moscow. Nowadays, the Maris are underrepresented in Russia due to a constant ethnic cleansing carried out in the local administration of the Mari Republic. This minority has repeatedly demanded the observance of their human and civil rights (the right for education, publications and broadcasting in their native language) to the extent of the rights of Russians living in the Mari Republic.
Source: Mercator News, May 2005, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm
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Updated (February 2006)
THE MARI MINORITY FACES CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC ASSIMILATION IN RUSSIA
On the 1st of February 2006, The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Moscow Helsinki Group (MGH) issued a report on the human rights situation of the Mari minority, a national group belonging to the Finno-Ugric people, which constitute less than a half the population of the Republic of Mari-El1.
According to the report, democracy and freedom of expression have come under growing attack over the last few years and the social acceptance of the Mari language, except being an official state language, has decreased in recent years. The report states that attempts to use Mari in public contexts are often met with outright hostility, while the Russian language has gained ground over the past years. The paper also points out that lack of resources makes it impossible to effectively enforce Mari as an official language in the public sector and the fact that public officials are not required to have any knowledge of Mari creates a major obstacle to the provision of public services in the titular language.
The report includes a list of recommendations in which IHF and MGH advise the authorities of the Russian Federation and The Republic of Mari-El to take adequate measures to enforce the protection and development of minority languages and cultures. Moreover, they suggest reinforcing the official status of the Mari language and encouraging active use of minority languages in different forms of media. A particular attention should be given to the promoting, maintaining and improving the availability of newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio broadcasts in minority languages when elaborating and implementing public media policies.
The situation of the Mari and other Finno-Ugric groups of Russia has repeatedly been featured on the agenda of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Similarly, the European Parliament has been active with respect to the Finno-Ugric minorities of Russia and in a resolution adopted in May 2005, it criticized "violations of human rights and democracy" in Mari.
Source: Mercator News, February 2006, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm
- one of the Russia's so-called ethnic regions
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Updated (August 2007)
MINORITIES LACK SUPPORT FROM THE STATE
According to the resolution submitted by the Committee of Ministers, Russia has not done enough for the protection of minorities living in the country. The document describes a lack of funding for the preservation and development of minority cultures.
In the field of education – officially, more than 75 minority languages are taught as a subject at about 10,000 Russian schools. The resolution, however, points out the difficulties some minorities face in receiving access to such education.
The resolution also notes a reduction in the state financial support for minority language media adding that a new law aimed at protection of Russian as the state language could also further obstacles to minority languages.
The Committee of Ministers has urged Russian authorities to step up efforts to strengthen the rights of minorities, but the Council of Europe has no enforcement mechanism. The resolution, though non-binding, puts public pressure on Russia to honor its commitments as a member of the Council and a signatory to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
Source: Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative, News, May 5, 2007 http://lgi.osi.hu/documents.php?id=1634
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