HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONCLUDES ESTONIA REPORT
Press Release
HR/CT/444
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONCLUDES ESTONIA REPORT
19951026 GENEVA, 25 October (UN Information Service) -- The Human Rights Committee this morning concluded its review of the initial report of Estonia by hearing responses from the delegation on how that State party was meeting its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.The delegation for Estonia indicated that there was no wish to drive ethnic minorities out of Estonia in order to create a mono-ethnic society. It declared that Estonia, as a newly emerging State without extensive State experience, was not able to implement all the laws enacted since its independence. During the last four years, the country's Parliament had passed an average of some 300 laws and decrees per year, the delegation said.
Response by Estonia
SVEN JÜRGENSON (Estonia), referring to a statement by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Russian Federation, distributed to members on Monday and which concerned the Estonian-Russian negotiations for the preparation of a treaty on State borders, said that it was "another unfortunate but clear example of an attempt to use every opportunity as leverage in a campaign waged against Estonia over the last three years". Estonia had already announced that it was ready to sign a treaty that would fix the present control lines as a State border, thus abandoning the claims for the occupied territories.
Responding to questions raised by members of the Committee, he said he had taken note of their disappointment over the too theoretical approach of his Government's initial report and promised to improve it in presenting the next report. State practice in Estonia was just emerging and it was impossible to implement all the laws which had been enacted over the last four years. During that time, the Parliament had enacted an average of 300 laws and decrees yearly.
With regard to citizenship, he said that it was not connected to ethnicity; rather it was based on the principle of jus sanguinis and not on jus soli. Thus, only the descendants of Estonian citizens had the right to citizenship by birth. As regards the linkage of citizenship and voting rights, only citizens were able to take part in general elections. However, there was no wish to drive ethnic minorities out of Estonia in order to create a mono-ethnic society, he stressed.
Concerning alleged police brutality and ultra-national military groupings, he said that there was no large-scale police brutality in Estonia and every case was investigated and the offenders punished. There were no ultra-national military groupings, but there was a voluntary defence organization called Kaitseliit, which was an integral part of the Estonian defence concept, under the command of the General Headquarters of the Estonian defence forces. Estonia could not assume its human rights obligations in the territories still occupied by the Russian Federation. Two thousand square kilometres of Estonia's territory were still beyond the jurisdiction of his Government.
AINO LEPIK (Estonia) said that the term "refugee" was not defined in Estonian legislation, but the Aliens' Law stated that the regulations for refugees in Estonia would be set out in a separate law. The recent cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the development of legislation and in training officials had become much more active. The new Law on Cultural Autonomy of Ethnic Minorities was based on the acceptance of ethnic minorities' right to preserve their ethnic identity, culture and language.
Access by the public to information today was guaranteed by a diversity of sources and means of information, enabling individuals to check the accuracy of facts and to appraise events objectively, he said. More than 300 periodicals were published in the country in addition to television and radio transmissions both in Estonian and Russian.
Concluding Remarks by Committee Members
The proper place of the Covenant in the legislative and judicial system of Estonia was the focus of remarks by many Committee experts. Although the past history of Estonia had created some difficulties affecting the present situation, they encouraged Estonia to continue its reforms in order to build a democratic civil society where human rights were fully respected. Several experts observed that the conditions laid down might not facilitate access to citizenship of non-Estonians living in the territory.
One expert found the conditions governing citizenship and the rights of minorities to maintain their identity to be contradictory. The delegation was asked to re-examine that situation. Some experts expressed concern over the overcrowded prisons, as well as over the prolonged detention of refugees in the country.
* *** *