EFHR representative at the International Scientific Conference organized by the Association of Polish Scientists of Lithuania

On October 15, an EFHR representative remotely participated in an international scientific conference on the preservation of Vilnius’ historical and cultural heritage and national identity, organized by the Association of Polish Scientists of Lithuania, and gave a speech on the situation of national minorities in Lithuania (2018-2022).

The presentation emphasized the importance of

• adopting the Law on National Minorities. The Law on National Minorities (1989) expired on January 1, 2010. There is currently no specific law in Lithuania governing the rights of national minorities and the State’s obligations to create conditions for the preservation and promotion of national minorities’ traditions, cultural, linguistic, and religious identities;

• amending the legal regulation outlined in the Law on the Spelling of the Name and Surname in Documents of the Republic of Lithuania, which took effect on May 1, 2022, to allow for the spelling of names and surnames with diacritical marks that do not appear in the Lithuanian alphabet. The exception provided for in the above-mentioned law applies to selected citizens of nationality other than Lithuanian, whose forenames and surnames in personal documents may be written in the Latin alphabet but without diacritical marks;

• signing and ratifying the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The Charter seeks to ensure that regional or minority languages are used in the education system and the media, and that their use is permitted and encouraged in legal and administrative institutions, economic and social life, and cultural and other activities. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages focuses heavily on the educational rights that representatives of minority languages can claim under this Charter;

• improving education for national minorities and ensuring that children’s rights to education in national minority languages are not restricted. Concerns remain about the provision of textbooks in national minority schools that are aligned with current educational content, as well as differences in achievement between students studying in different languages. Every child living in our country, regardless of nationality, should have the right to an adequate education.

The presentation also discussed other issues concerning national minorities, such as the prevalence of hate speech on the internet, the use of bilingual street and topographical signs, etc.