In their statement members of the Forum express, interl alia, their concerns about possible further actions of the Lithuanian authorities aimed at the depletion of the condition of Polish national minority in Lithuania.
'We are grateful for reminding Mrs President and all the gathered, including the President of the European Parliament and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, that it is unacceptable that basic human rights, including the rights of national minorities, are violated in common Europe. It is shameful and unacceptable that people in a country which is a member of the EU and NATO would be prosecuted and punished for the use of their mother tongue in public life. What will be further actions of Lithuanian authorities - ban on the use of our language at home? And then perhaps ban on thinking in Polish?' members of the Forum ask.
In its statement the Forum, according to it, denies the assertions of the President Grybauskaitė on alleged lack of criticism from international organizations addressed to the Lithuanian authorities regarding discrimination of national communities inhabiting the country.
'We, parents of the pupils of Polish schools in Lithuania, support the actions of the Member Valdemar Tomaševski and other deputies who expresses their strong opposition to the violation of national minorities' rights in Lithuania. Mrs President did not have much to say, she only insulted Mr Tomaševski. The member representing national minority in Lithuania could not behave in a different way. Mrs President Dalia Grybauskaite publicly lied to the international community and representatives of the European Parliament stating that none of the reports of international organizations mentions the fact that national minority rights are violated in Lithuania. Well, the President is lying, as evidenced by the following reports:
1. the report of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI):
http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/monitoring/ecri/Country-by-country/Lithuania/LTU-CbC-IV-2011-%20038-ENG.pdf ;
2. the resolution of the Committee of Ministers of 2012 on the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Lithuania with reference to linguistic rights, lack of legal regulation, strengthening of the system of consultations with representatives of minorities on issues affecting them:
https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=2009951&Site=CM&BackColorInternet=C3C3C3&BackColorIntranet=EDB021&BackColorLogged=F5D383;
3. the report of the 'European Network against Racism' (ENAR): note of the deteriorating situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania;
4. the Alternative Report (February 2011) of the Human Rights Monitoring Institute in Vilnius (HRMI), based on the Fourth and Fifth Periodic Reports of Lithuania, which was based on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), in which it is stressed that 'Lithuania is characterized by the low level of knowledge on human rights among policy makers, government officials, the judiciary, the media and the society in general. The state must develop effective institutional and legal framework in order to protect human rights in Lithuania';
5. the report of the Freedom House that speaks critically about the new Law on Education which was adopted in March 2011 and which in 2013 forced high school graduates to pass the Lithuanian language exam on the same level as their colleagues from the Lithuanian schools:
http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/lithuania;
6. the report of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek on the situation of national minorities in Lithuania from May 2012,' the statement says.
According to members of the Forum, the above mentioned documents prove the fact of deterioration of the situation of national minorities in Lithuania.
'According to us, lying to the international community by the highest authorities of Lithuania instead of telling the truth simply discredits and ridicules Lithuania on international area. The reports unequivocally confirm that the situation of national minorities in Lithuania deteriorates. We cannot agree on the diminution of our rights, most of all because of the welfare and future of our children. We want to educate our children in accordance to our traditions and culture. Mother tongue is the basic welfare of the nation,' the Forum stated.
'We do support activities of the Member of the European Parliament in the area of the defence of the national minorities' rights in Lithuania,' underlined parents of the pupils of Polish schools in Šalčininkai district in their statement signed by Renata Cytacka, President of the Forum of Parents of Polish Schools in Šalčininkai District.
