It's official: Russian is the state language

[curt fredric woolhiser]

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 7, No. 24, Part I, 6 February 2003


RUSSIA

IT'S OFFICIAL: RUSSIAN IS THE STATE LANGUAGE... State Duma deputies
on 5 February passed the law on Russian as a state language in its
third and final reading, Russian news agencies reported. The vote was
248 in favor, with 37 against and one abstention, RosBalt reported.
The law is designed to strengthen the right of citizens to use
Russian as the state language. It prohibits the use of foreign words
or expressions that have Russian-language equivalents in public
documents or in civil, criminal, or administrative court proceedings,
the agency reported. "The Moscow Times" reported earlier that since
the Duma approved the bill in its first reading last June, deputies
have eased proposed restrictions on journalists and television
personalities, who would be able to use otherwise prohibited language
if it is "an integral part of an artistic concept" (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 13 December 2002). JAC