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Rights of Russian-speaking population continuously violated in Baltic states — ombudsman

Russian human rights ombudsman drew attention to growing neo-Nazi moods in the Baltic states
Participants of the rally in support of Russian schools in Latvia (archive) ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Starkov
Participants of the rally in support of Russian schools in Latvia (archive)
© ITAR-TASS/Vladimir Starkov

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. The situation with human rights in Baltic states has not improved, Russian human rights ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov said on Tuesday, citing violations of rights of the Russian-speaking minority in the former Soviet republics.

"We are stating that consistent activity towards violation of political, social-economic, and language rights of the Russian-speaking minority continues," said the Foreign Ministry’s commissioner for human rights, democracy and supremacy of law, adding that the Russian-speaking minotiry was a sizable part of the population in the former Soviet republics.

"This issue may have fallen by the wayside in media a bit against the background of dramatic events in Ukraine, but this does not mean that the situation defuses," he said.

The ombudsman denounced the policy of republics’ authorities towards a rude falsification of the history of World War II, the blackening of a decisive contribution of the then Soviet Union in the victory. "Inadmissible moves are made towards relegating WWII," Dolgov said.

He drew attention to growing neo-Nazi moods in the Baltic states. "Supporters of Nazis, who participated in crimes against the humankind, can be seen walking about openly," he said. "One can hear discourses at the highest level that people were forced into these SS divisions. This is not a serious excuse," Dolgov said.

"Glorification of Nazism is inadmissible from the point of view of conscience and morale," he added.