Many of the Russian-speaking minorities who stayed the country after the collapse of the Soviet Union are still stateless.
Why are they stateless?
When Latvia became independent in 1990, citizenship was granted to those whose families had been present on Latvian territory before Soviet times. The rest had to pass a Latvian language exam. In July 2003 the number of ‘non-citizens’ was 494,319, or around 21% of the Latvian population (Council of Europe). A social integration policy was implemented to naturalise Russian-speaking minorities, but today there are still over 250,000 non-citizens in Latvia.
How does it affect them?
By law, Latvian non-citizens are treated “neither as foreigners nor as stateless persons but as distinct category of persons with long-lasting and effective ties to Latvia, in many respects comparable to citizens but in other respects without the rights that come with full citizenship” (Human Rights Committee).
Latvian non-citizens do not enjoy the same rights as full Latvian citizens. They cannot vote, cannot occupy certain state and public positions, cannot be employed in certain professions, cannot own land and other natural resources, and cannot receive a loan to purchase a new apartment. They also have less freedom to travel.
Photo credit: World Politics Review