Latvian Human Rights Committee ( lv, Latvijas Cilvēktiesību komiteja, russian: Латвийский комитет по правам человека) is a non-governmental human rights organization in
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. It is a member of international human rights and anti-racism NGOs
FIDH, AEDH. Co-chairpersons of LHRC are
Vladimir Buzayev
Vladimir Viktorovich Buzayev (russian: Влади́мир Ви́кторович Буза́ев, lv, Vladimirs Buzajevs; born October 8, 1951 in Zhukovka, Bryansk Oblast, Russian SFSR) is a Latvian Russian politician and Member of the 8th and 9 ...
and . According to the authors of the study "Ethnopolitics in Latvia", former
CBSS Commissioner on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Ole Espersen
Ole Mogens Espersen (20 December 1934 – 4 December 2020) was a Danish politician and minister, who represented the Social Democratic Party in Denmark.
Espersen was born in Nylars. He was Minister of Justice during two cabinets of Anker Jørgen ...
"had visited LHRC various times and had used mostly the data of that organisation in his views on Latvia".
History
In 1992, LHRC was founded (as the Latvian Human Rights and International Humanitarian Co-operation Committee) by a group of people co-operating since 1990, led by
Tatjana Ždanoka
Tatjana Ždanoka or Tatyana Zhdanok (russian: Татья́на Арка́дьевна Ждано́к, ''Tatyana Arkadyevna Zhdanok''; born Tatyana Khesin (''Хесин'') on May 8, 1950 in Riga) is a Latvian politician and a Member of the Europe ...
and Vladimir Bogdanov. In 1995, LHRC joined FIDH and was registered by Latvian authorities.
Since 1994, LHRC periodically publishes an updated list of differences in rights between citizens and
non-citizens of Latvia. Since 1997, LHRC supports
UNITED for Intercultural Action
UNITED for Intercultural Action is a European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants and refugees, in which over 560 organisations from 48 European countries cooperate. UNITED was founded in 1992 (officially regi ...
. In 2007, LHRC has joined ENAR and AEDH.
Publications
The following printed publications in English were issued or prepared by LHRC:
*Human Rights and Minorities in Latvia (1999)
*Report on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in the Republic of Latvia (2002)
*Media Legislation, Minority Issues, and Implications for Latvia (2003)
*Citizens of a Non-Existent State (2008; second edition 2011; includes the aforementioned list)
* (prepared in co-operation with
Legal Information Centre for Human Rights
Legal Information Centre for Human Rights is a non-governmental organisation based in Estonia, according to Hanne-Margret Birckenbach, is "particularly involved in promoting the concerns of Russian-speaking inhabitants and with outstanding conta ...
)
*
* Language policy of Latvia (2020).
Cases before international judicial bodies
LHRC members have worked on the following cases before international human rights institutions:
*''Agafonova v. Latvia'' (UN
HRC) — Latvia has issued residence permit for the applicant
*''
Ignatāne v. Latvia
''Ignatāne v. Latvia'' (Communication No. 884/1999) was a case decided by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2001.
Facts and proceedings
Mrs. Ignatāne stood for Latvian local elections to be held in March 1997, as a candidate of M ...
'' (UN HRC) — views in favour of Ignatane (2001)
*''
Podkolzina v. Latvia'' (
ECtHR; later, British lawyer W. Bowring has taken the representation) — judgment in favour of Podkolzina (2002)
*''Rudova v. Latvia'' (ECtHR) — decision in favour of government (2002)
*''Kuhareca v. Latvia'' (ECtHR) — decision in favour of government (2004)
*''
Ždanoka v. Latvia'' (ECtHR; later, British lawyer W. Bowring has taken the representation) — 5:2 judgment in favour of Ždanoka (2004), 13:4 Grand Chamber final judgment in favour of government (2006)
*''Ševanova v. Latvia'' (ECtHR) — judgment in favour of Ševanova (2006), decision to struck the case out of list, paying costs to Ševanova (2007),
*''Mitina v. Latvia'' (ECtHR) — partial decision (2002) and final decision (2006) in favour of government
*''Miholapa v. Latvia'' (ECtHR; later, British lawyer W. Bowring has taken the representation) — judgment in favour of Miholapa (2007)
*''
Andrejeva v. Latvia
''Andrejeva v. Latvia'' (55707/00) was a case decided by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in 2009. It concerned ''ex parte'' proceedings and discrimination in calculating retirement pensions for non-citizens of Latvia.
F ...
'' (ECtHR) — Grand Chamber 16:1 judgment in favour of Andrejeva (2009)
*''
Raihman v. Latvia
''Raihman v. Latvia'' (Communication No. 1621/2007) was a case decided by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in 2010 (UN Document CCPR/C/100/D/1621/2007).
Facts and proceedings
Mr. Raihman, a Latvian national and member of Jewish and Rus ...
'' (UN HRC) — 13:2 views in favour of Raihman (2010)
*''Petrova v. Latvia'' (EctHR) — Chamber judgment in favour of Petrova (2014)
*''Petropavlovskis v. Latvia'' (ECtHR) — Chamber judgment in favour of government (2015)
References
External links
LHRC website{{Authority control
Human rights organisations based in Latvia
International Federation for Human Rights member organizations
Minority rights