Appeal on Behalf of Mari People

[Johanna Laakso]

Dear All,

below, with usual apologies for cross-postings, the international appeal on behalf of the Mari people, whose rights to their own language, culture, identity, and freedom of speech are -- as reported recently in various media -- increasingly threatened. The text can be read and signed on-line at http://www.ugri.info/mari/ .

Best wishes, from Budapest at the moment,
Johanna
johanna.laakso at univie.ac.at

-- FORWARDED MESSAGE --

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "MariUver" <Mari.Uver at mail.ee>
> To: <ugrimugri.marimugri at lists.ut.ee>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 1:40 PM
> Subject: [marimugri:681] [ugrimugri:509] PRESS RELEASE: Appeal on Behalf of
> Mari People
>
>
> > Finn-ugor kalyk-vlakyn inforu:derzhe
> > Estonijyshte press-reliz dene lektyn
> >
> > >"Soome-Ugri Rahvaste Infokeskus" <suri at suri.ee>
> > PRESS RELEASE 22 February 2005
> >
> > For immediate release
> >
> > Mari Nation Under Threat in Russia
> >
> > An appeal to the authorities of Russian Federation to stop infringing on
> > political and cultural rights of the Maris, a 600 thousand strong nation,
> > was distributed today by a group of American, British, Swedish, Finnish,
> > Estonian and Hungarian politicians and public figures. They urge the
> > Russian government to immediately stop the rising tide of discrimination
> and
> > persecution of Mari nation in the Republic of Mari El, and to initiate an
> > investigation into the assault on prominent Mari leader Mr. Vladimir
> > Kozlov who was beaten nearly to death earlier this month. Kozlov is the
> > editor-in-chief of an international Finno-Ugric newspaper and head of the
> > all-Russian movement of the Mari people. The authors call on human rights
> > organizations of the world to support the action. Everyone is called to
> > join the appeal at the Internet address http://www.ugri.info/mari/.
> >
> > Among those who signed the appeal are former speaker of the Finnish
> > parliament Mrs. Riitta Uosukainen, former president of Estonia Mr. Lennart
> > Meri, long-term adviser of U.S. governments Prof. Paul Goble, composers
> > Veljo Tormis from Estonia and Kari Rydman from Finland, First
> Vice-President
> > of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Toomas Hendrik
> > Ilves, Prof. John Hiden from Britain, and former Finnish foreign minister
> > Pertti Paasio.
> >
> > The appeal of western politicians was published on 22 February in the
> > Finnish Helsingin Sanomat and Estonian Paevaleht, dailies with the
> > greatest circulation. It was the reaction to a report by the Mari El
> Association in Moscow issued 7 February. According to the report, local
> officials did not even launch investigation into other similar cases of
> attacks on leaders of political opposition. The association condemned the
> attack on Kozlov and called on Mari representatives in the Russian State
> Duma to take an action to stop 'the political terror' and ensure the
> constitutional rights to all citizens in Mari El. The report asked the
> international community and especially the Finno-Ugric nations of Estonia,
> Finland and Hungary, relatives of the Mari people, to speak out against this
> dangerous trend (http://www.mari.ee/eng/soc/polit/apogei.htm).
> >
> >
> > On behalf of the signatories,
> > Mart Meri
> > Editor in Chief, monthly Keel ja Kirjandus
> > Tallinn, Estonia
> >
> > phone +372 644 9270
> > fax +372 644 5119
> > e-mail suri at suri.ee
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------
> > APPENDIX
> > ---------------------------------------------------
> > APPEAL ON BEHALF OF THE MARI PEOPLE
> >
> > We the representatives and friends of the Finno-Ugric peoples of the world
> > call on the Russian authorities at all levels to take immediate steps to
> > end the attacks on members of the democratic opposition in the Republic of
> > Mari El. We urge international human rights organizations to join us in
> this
> > cause.
> >
> > In recent months, the local government of Mari El has done nothing to stop
> > the rising tide of discrimination and attacks against the Mari people,
> > thus creating the impression that it supports or may even be behind them.
> We
> > note with regret that the authorities have done nothing to identify those
> > who earlier this month attacked Vladimir Kozlov, editor-in-chief of the
> > Finno-Ugric newspaper Kudo+Kodu and head of the all-Russian movement of
> > the Mari people, Mer Kanash, beating him nearly to death.
> >
> > The Mari people are an important part of the Finno-Ugric world, and this
> > summer they are scheduled to host the next world congress of Finno-Ugric
> > studies. Consequently, it is especially important now that the Russian
> > authorities in Moscow and in Mari El do everything possible to end the
> > abuse of the rights of the Maris.
> >
> > 21st of February 2005
> >
> > Prof. Paul Goble, USA
> > Prof. John Hiden, United Kingdom
> > Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Vice-President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
> of the European Parliament
> > Dr. Tytti Isohookana-Asunmaa, former Minister of Culture of Finland
> > Bela Javorszky, former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia, Hungary
> > Prof. Kyosti Julku, Finland
> > Prof. Olavi Korhonen, Sweden
> > Mart Laar, MP, former Prime Minister of Estonia
> > Leena Laulajainen, writer, Finland
> > Dr. Lennart Meri, former President of Estonia
> > Mart Meri, Editor-in-Chief, Estonia
> > Pertti Paasio, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland
> > Prof. Janos Pusztay, Hungary
> > Prof. Raimo Raag, Sweden
> > Kari Rydman, composer, Finland
> > Prof. Pauli Saukkonen, Finland
> > Toomas Savi, MEP, former Speaker of the Parliament of Estonia
> > As. Prof. Tonu Seilenthal, Estonia
> > Veljo Tormis, composer, Estonia
> > Riitta Uosukainen, former Speaker of the Parliament of Finland
> > Arvo Valton, writer, Chairman of the Association of Finno-Ugric
> Literatures
> > Prof. Kalevi Wiik, Finland
> > ------------------
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
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> >
> >
>
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