MENU
Documenting
war crimes in Ukraine

The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative was set up in response to the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

Similar articles

Draft laws on the functioning in Ukraine of regional and minority languages need revisionNo more tolerance to Putin’s regime! “Do You Still Want This War?” Anti-War Activities in Russia, 3-9 July 2022Russian invaders destroy Ukrainian hospitals, plundering medical equipment and abducting medical staff Russia launches attack on author of PACE report condemning human rights violations against Crimean TatarsThe practice of application of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine80-year-old Ukrainian charged with trying to overturn the government via a Facebook repostMost Ukrainians say their language is an important aspect of Ukraine’s independence‘Russian language moratorium’ headed for Strasbourg after Supreme Court reinstatementCourt in Ukraine quashes Lviv Council’s Russian language ‘moratorium’A brief description of KHPG strategic litigations in January–June 2018Russian language ‘moratorium’ slammed as against Ukraine’s Constitution & common senseThe Truth Behind Ukraine’s Language PolicyA brief description of KHPG strategic litigations in January–December 2017Ukrainian Language Bill Facing Barrage Of Criticism From Minorities, Foreign CapitalsA brief description of KHPG strategic litigations in January - June 2017A brief description of KHPG strategic litigations in 2016A brief description of KHPG strategic litigations in the second half of 2016Final Curtain For Embattled Crimean Children’s TheatreHas The War In Ukraine Moved To A Second Front?

Council of Europe puts Ukrainian separatists in their place

23.07.2006    source: www.pravda.com.ua
According to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, only central authorites are empowered to grant regional language status, whatever local authorities in Ukraine may think

According to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, it is only central authorities which may designate any particular status for a language.

This was stressed by a high-ranking official of the Secretariat of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Hasan Berbek, in an interview given to the newspaper “Zerkalo tyzhnya” [“The Weekly Mirror”].

“According to the provisions of the Charter, only central state bodies have the authority to grant a language a particular status”.

Mr Bermek added that the actions of regional authorities are not regulated by the Charter at all.

Over the last few months a number of local or regional authorities in different regions of Ukraine have “granted” Russian regional language status, referring in this to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. 

“Each state treats this term as a minority language, or as the language of a minority, or a regional language.”  For us it is not of significance how the term is viewed.

Mr Bermek adds that the definition of the term “regional or minority language” is provided in point “a” of Article 1 of the Charter:  a  “Regional or minority languages” means languages that are: i) traditionally used within a given territory of a State by nationals of that State who form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the State’s population; and  ii  different from the official language(s) of that State; it does not include either dialects of the official language(s) of the State or the languages of migrants”.

He also noted that when the Charter was being drawn up, the situation in Western Europe was such that the development of events which has been observed in Eastern Europe was not allowed for. This was true, for example, of the situation in Ukraine where a non-official language is used more than the state language.

"It is precisely for this reason that most of the Articles of the Charter are concerned with languages traditional for a particular area, or which are used to a lesser degree than the state language or languages”, Hasan Bermek explained.

“Ukrainska Pravda”

 Share this