Persecution of dissidents in Estonia
By Helga on Wednesday, September 17 2008, 23:42 - Permalink
Who are dissidents in Estonia?
The dissidents are persons who don’t accept ideas of the President (an American) and its Governmet, who put questions to the politicians and require them to provide to solv some social problem, who try to unit the devided Estonian society, who try to convince the politician to begin politics of the integration of the Russianspeakings, who is anti-Nazist or anti-Fashist, who is not agree with propaganda of the Government that the Estonian Nazis fought for Estonia and Estonia was an ally of Hitler, who is not agree with the lies of the Estonian politicians and with the falsification of the national history, who ask the politician for defending the national interests and not the American ones... … …
One of the commentators expressed his opinion that I write here "freely enough". Unfortunately, it is not so. I received the first threat some years ago – when I try to do something to help abused Russianspeaking children. There are no native Russianspeaking specialist whom abused children can turn to and tell about own problems – all (or mayby almost all) specialist are native Estonians. As a consequence of the politics of hatred, discrimination, aprtheid and intollerancy to Russianspeakings and Russians in Estonia (I’ll describe it in detail in the future posts), the Russianspeaking children don’t trust to native Estonianspeaking specialists and keep their problems to them. The language to write denounces is only Estonian and all proceedings are hold in Estonian, the translator-interprete service is exaggeratedly expensive.
I received a lot of threats after doing the critics of the official "program" of integration and offering some possible ways of solving of the problem of the segregation of the Russianspekings and aparthaid (published on my another blog).
I was asked great many time to close my blogs. Now I’m advised by some human right associations – they advised me not to drive a car in Estonia (the Estonian Policy can make a heavy injust fine or arrest without a reason or with a false accusation), not to live in the place where I’m officially registered, not to tell on telephone about my private life, to have always the testimonies – nice, isn’t? However, I can’t beleive my blog has some importance – I’m only a simple citizen, but the threats attest the high level of racial hatred in Estonia.
Some testimony about persecution of other persons are under here.
An Armenian man living in Estonia Sarkis Tatevosjan is the member of the organisation "Meie partei – Õigluse partei" ("Our party – a party of justice" – is a group of the persons who dreams to create a new-mode party in Estonia, it is not the party yet) which try to unite the Estonian society and stop the racial-national hatred between the Estonians and Russianspeaking. This organization was created only 8 month ego but today Sarkis Tatevosjan feel be a little bit persecuted. Sarkis travels a lot, after he became a member of "Meie partei" the "KAPO" Policy (a kind of Policy) began to search his baggage obsessingly whyle other passengers are not controlled.
Sarkis writes:
What are the guide-lines of such a pressing treatment organised by KAPO in base of my dissident ideas? Isn’t the Estonian regim totalitary, is it? A don’t understand something?
I know I don’t do anything illegal that’s why I request to explain me because I am wrong.
Because I have put a question to Mart Laar (an Estonian politician, ex communist, glorifier of the Estonian Nazis and re-writer of the History) requesting the prooves of his accusation of Russia?
Because the Estonian President is an American citizen? And I’m not sure he is interested to protect the interests of the Estonian people because the interests of the Americans are more important to him?
Because the Russian children in Estonian shools are non permitted to speak Russian in the break-time?
Because we have to survive an economy crisis caused by Ansip’s Government (Andrus Ansip is the Premier Minister of Estonia, ex communist famous for his brutality in repression of a demonstration for independence of Estonia in the Soviet time) instead of partecipation in the Georgia war as a Georgian ally?
Because our Government is indifferent to the tragedy of the killed Ossetians in Tshinvali? Aren’t they human, why our Government don’t express the symphaty to their relatives?
Because there are more than 100 000 persons to whom our Government refuse to give the citisenship and they can’t feel themselves as equal memeber of our society?
Dear KAPO agents, explain me please, what I’m wrong in? (I’m sure You read our site).
2. http://rus.delfi.ee/daily/estonia/article.php?id=19853915
(Автору книги "Бронзовый солдат" угрожают)
A Finnish sociologist and politologist Johan Bäckman, author of the book "Pronssisoturi — Viron patsaskiistan tausta ja sisältö" ("The Bronze Soldier - the real reasons and essence of the Estonian fightings around the monument"), was menaced with death. Bekman told it to the Austrian journal "Der Standard".
The Estonian politicians don’t like this man because he writes about apartheid in Estonia and the politician want to hide it from the European public opinion. Bekman forsees Estonia in the Russian Federation during next years and think people don’t trust more to Nato and European Union having cosidered the Georgia situation.
(Листовки призывают русских создать автономию )
Aleksandr Kotov – a member of the ССЗНП (an organization of the Russianspeakings and Russians in the North-East of Estonia) declare that the members of organisation are “taken” (arrested) by Police without any accusation on the streets and forced to “dialogue”.
(Снова допрос статья 262)
On 13 of August a citizen Maksim Reva put flowers and a candle in front of the Embassy of the USA, like many other Estonian sitizens. He expressed his symphaty to the Ossetians - victims of the Georgian Army. This sitizen put flowers and another candle in front of the Russian Embassy in the same day and almost the same time. Now he is accused of violation of Law and order nearby the USA Embassy because this action is considered as a crime by the Estonian Police. He is not accused of the same violations nearby the Russian Embassy. Express own opinion in front of the USA Embassy is a crime in Estonia. It seems that the USA Embassy declared to feel to be damaged by this expression of the opinion, that’s why the cirizen is charged with an indefinit crime. In the same time the USA cries to be a defencor of the democracy in the world… The Policy refused to explain the precise accusation to the citizen – the accusation is vague and not based on facts.
Maksim Reva is else accused of organisation of disorders of April 2007 (question of the anti-Nazis statue), but some analist thinks the organiser was an Estonian Government and the aim was to have Nato bases in Estonia (read “Военно-политические аспекты "апрельских событий" в Эстонии” at http://russbalt.ucoz.ru). The Estonian Governmet deceived the world about "great hackers attacks" (it was only one young Estonian men and the "attack" was extremily primitive – the real hackers make fun about it, he is just condamned; 2 other men of Pridnestrovie procaimed they did attackes but there are no prooves yet) and after that the Nato Cyber Center was created in Estonia, maybe for spying upon Russia. Seeing the video of the begginning of the disorder (at YouTube) we can see that the Police was too aggressive and attacked disarmed people, who was peacefully protesting and doing requests to the Government.
Comments
Olga, your claims are - once again - just so outrageous and ridiculous that it would take too long and waste too much energy to respond properly. All you are really doing here is just discrediting yourself...
Olga, I learned a while ago when I had the displeasure of stumbling upon your paranoid ramblings that nothing you ever write about could be taken seriously. You are not a "simple citizen" nor are you a real "dissident" of Estonia. You have proven over and over to be a just an ignorant and despicable person that takes advantage of everything a democratic country that you have CHOSEN to live at has to offer, while - pardon my French - shitting all over it. Shame on you!
Olga, try to open your mind - if only even for just 90 minutes - and watch a movie The Singing Revolution (it's out on DVD in Estonia, and will be released in Oct. or Nov. in Western Europe and USA). Maybe you'll see the other side of the coin... (I know you won't but what can I say? I guess I'm an optimist
http://www.singingrevolution.com
I feel truly sorry for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and all the other former Soviet bloc countries that were Russified with people like Olga here...
Helga, it is truly joyous to see that finally brave like yourself decided to speak up about the suffering of ethnic minorities in Estonia. Their cries for help are largely brushed aside by the E.U. and the western media because of some cheap geo-political goals against Russia. If it wasn't for people like you, the only ones to hear their pleas would be the Russian citizens and cowardly Russian government that has so far done nothing to protect their compatriots.
Sadly not just Russian, but also Jewish and Roma minorities get their fair share of discrimination. To be totally frank, the term “discrimination” doesn’t do justice to state of Xenophobia, Racism and anti-Semitism in the Baltics, in particular Estonia. The best way to describe the atrocities committed by the Baltic Governments against its minorities would be Repression, Tyranny and Fascism.
I happen to be quite a frequent traveller to Estonia and Latvia, and what is happening in these E.U. ( yes E.U, believe it or not) states simply makes me sick to my stomach! My Jewish friends from Estonia tell me some of the most horrific and graphic tales of prosecution, physical and mental abuse. Almost everyday they are bound to encounter some form of it. Be it simple anti-Semitism, being spat at, or worse, being physically attacked just for the way they might look or talk.
I myself saw the ugly face of Baltic Nationalism not so long ago in the Latvian town of Jelgava when a group of Latvian youth heard me speaking on the phone to a friend of mine in Russian. Having finished my conversation, I quickly found myself surrounded by a gang of about five people. First, they started talking to me in Latvian, but not knowing the local language I rather foolishly stated in Russian - “I am sorry, I do not understand your language”. As soon as I said that, it quickly became apparent that the youth were getting increasingly irritated by what I said - I could sense that, as their tone quickly became more aggressive and intimidating. After about a minute or so, of what I presumed to be Latvian verbal abuse, one of the youth switched to broken Russian and said something along these lines: “Russian Pig, learn our language or get out of my country to your Mother Russia. Estonian for Estonians”. Having understood my situation, I quickly switched to English and proceeded to explained that I am just a tourist and, incidentally, not even from Russia, and that I most certainly didn’t want any trouble. However, my plea came to an abrupt halt when I was pushed face-down in the snow, kicked in the back a few times and spat in the back of the head by two or three angry yobs. Frankly, I was happy to be alive.
Now, some might say that because of this ordeal I could never be objective about Latvia, or in fact any of the Baltic States ever again. Perhaps, but even so, there are clear evidence that hateful nationalism and general discrimination of minorities is out of control in these countries.
Here are two reports on discrimination from UN and Amnesty International:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/alfresco_...
http://www.developmentandtransition...
Having said that, the problem sadly goes much further then discrimination of minorities. The following links demonstrate the vast difference of morality and social norms between the Baltic States and the rest of Europe. The link below is about a Nazi SS monument that was erected in Estonia (with full governmental support) in honour of the Fascist butcher responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jewish women and children during the Holocaust.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...
Below we can see a video of an annual government-organised march in support of the same monsters. Incidentally, Nazi war criminals are also taking part in this show of support for Hitler, because Latvian government failed to prosecute any of them to date.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdT9...
The link below shows the sort of books under Estonian National Curriculum and how Nazism is spoon-fed to the children from a very early age.
http://www.yousaytoo.com/Ganza/xeno...
And few more links in relation to this subject:
http://www.cjnews.com/index.php?opt...
http://ukraines.fr/spip.php?breve10
http://www.regnum.ru/english/526027...
But what seems to be even more terrifying, is that the E.U. and the Western media in general, seeing these atrocities, are staying totally silent. Clearly geopolitics and NATO expansionism are involved, but come on, enough is enough, will they wait until Estonia and Latvia starts purging the Jews again until getting involved or at least condemning the atrocities?
My sincerest condolences go to citizens of these countries.
look girl, you could have at least used a spell checker before spouting out all this ridiculous russian propaganda. OH NO BAD ESTONIANS WILL COME DEVOUR OUR SOULS AND WE WILL ALL GO TO HELL :<
and the first to call the other side a nazi automatically loses the argument. Godwin's law.
To E:
Your personal attacks and groundless rhetoric are typical of the tactics used by the Third Reich to discredit their opponents. At least have the guts to challenge at least one of my links above, and then tell me it isn't true.
Ones again Helga, I admire your courage. The truth shall set us free.
To add to my previous post, here are just a few examples of fast increasing anti-Semitism in Estonia.
In February 2005 the Ministry of Defense distributed a movie to Estonian schools, which praised Estonian volunteers to the SS during World War II and claimed that the Nazi occupation saved Estonia from the Soviets. No mention was made of the SS murder of Jews or of the transportation of thousands of Jews to camps in Estonia.
On 9 February 2005 the newspaper Kesknadal of the mainstream Centrist Party, a member of the government coalition, published an article by former Nazi legionnaire, I. Saar entitled, “History Cannot Be Sold at Auction,” criticizing the Estonian government’s decision from September 2004 to dismantle a memorial in the city of Lihula honoring Estonian SS soldiers.
On 16 July 2005 about 1,500 former Estonian SS collaborators held a rally in Tartu, attended by Rein Lang, minister of justice (Reform Party).
In mid-August a group of Holocaust researchers from Germany visiting Estonia discovered that the memorial to Holocaust victims in Klooga had been desecrated. The memorial marks the place where 2,000 Jews were shot to death and burnt on 19 September 1944. A local Jew told the visitors that the desecration had occurred in summer 2004 but the perpetrators had not been caught and the memorial was never repaired.
In early August the trial of Olev Khannula for incitement of hatred began in the city of Tallinn. In 2003 he wrote “Jews to the oven” on the Internet forum of the Delfi news site. The prosecutor said that the trial would serve as a precedent, establishing a clear line between freedom of speech and incitement of ethnic hatred…….
Shall I go on?
You know full well you are free to express your opinions in this blog, in comments, or whatever forum you find.
When I traveled to the U.S., my belongings were searched and I was questioned for an hour. For no reason! I must be a dissident, a real martyr actually! Should I call Putin and Amnesty International to liberate me from America?
The reason that your views are not represented in mainstream media is that the media cannot very oftern give voice to every lunatic fringe group like Jehovah's witnesses or stalinists or nudists. I really hope there is a maximum of 100 people in Estonia who share your views in such extreme form and that you are outnumbered by nudists.
It saddens me that as a person who has centuries of family history in Estonia you are so opposed to all principles of this country.
Tell us, where do your extreme views and anger come from? There must be some kind of trauma in your life or family history. Did you have grandparents who were unjustly persecuted in Estonia? Were you bullied by an Estonian bully as a young child? Tell us about the family history or the background that makes you believe you're persecuted.
If you have Estonian friends, then you know that most of us have stories about how some of our parents or grandparents were deported to Gulag in 1941 or 1949. If you knew about the deportations and executions, maybe you would understand better what is the meaning of a real human rights violation and would put this "persecution" in the form of airport searches into perspective.
To Justin: I chuckled as I began reading your comment, enjoying what I thought to be your wicked sense of humor... And then I realized you weren't kidding. I first thought that you are just another hapless victim of propaganda, but then - mainly thanks to the length of your "comment" and the thoroughness of it - I comprehend that yours is not a simple response. It's clear that you have the same goal as Olga and you've been working on your article for a while. (I congratulate you on your English, BTW - it's really quite good for a "Russianspeaking"!)
Anyhow, since you are taking this a step further than Olga - read this: http://www.einst.ee/factsheets/jews...
To shewantsnorevenge :
I honestly don’t know whether to be angry or feel sorry for people like you. Like “:E” you were unable to ether critically appraise, or even confront any of the links I’ve provided, instead resorting to yet another pathetic attempt in undermining my integrity. I am not at all surprised though, because it’s certainly very difficult to dispute these facts (because they are just that - facts) and its far easier to shift the focus. What is surprising though, is the amount of hate people like yourself are capable of spewing out on the daily basis, and how tremendously strong and destructive Nationalist propaganda can really be. Fighting!
As for your link - carefully picked historical facts rather skilfully span into utter misleading propaganda. Next time, do me a favour, present me with a more credible source, preferably not with an Estonian domain
To Justin: I couldn't agree with you more and would like to respond with your own words:
"What is surprising though, is the amount of hate people like yourself are capable of spewing out on the daily basis, and how tremendously strong and destructive Nationalist propaganda can really be. F(r)ighting!" (AMEN!)
"As for your link - carefully picked historical facts rather skilfully span into utter misleading propaganda." (AMEN AGAIN!)
I'm very sorry you feel that your integrity is so fragile.
Regarding your complaint of your links not receiving any "critical appraisal or even confrontation" - I personally find it to be rather unproductive to argue over anything found on the interenet or media. The net is full of opinions - be it in the form of video clips or articles - that serve all interest groups. Who has the time to start shooting links back and fourth?! This could go on forever!
But since you are asking, I can again respond with your own words (albeit slightly modified: I replaced "historical facts" with "personal opinions"): "As for your link(s) - carefully picked Personal Opinions rather skilfully span into utter misleading propaganda."
Cheers.
Well what is your problem then? This is Estonia, not Russia. We speak Estonian here, immigrants should accomodate. Like they do everywhere else in Europe. Even the Turks in Germany speak German well enough to make a living. Maybe it's just the Russian specialty, not being able to accustom to local standards, not even in 50 years. See: her poor English.
Nazism? Sorry what, that's same crap as communism is. The difference is that the reds did more harm in this country than the Germans ever managed. Any fight against the red menace is fine in our book, therefore the estonian men who fought against the reds during WWII are heroes. The ones who committed war crimes are cowards. And they (and even the ones who weren't) got shot in 1950-60s anyway.
Later, "Justin".
P.S. We had no problems whatsoever with the opening of the Jewish synagogue in 2007. Our president and prime minister were present, with Shimon Peres. State of Israel has no problems with Estonia whatsoever. The Russian Federation however, seems to have a major beef with Estonia.
I LEAVE HERE THE AGGRESSIVE AND HYSTERICAL COMMENTS WITH INSULTS ONLY FOR SHOWING THE PATHOLOGICAL LEVEL OF HATRED AND AGGRESSIVITY TO SOCIOLOGISTS AND POLITOLOGISTS.
***
The www.singingrevolution.org is made non by an Estonian citizen but by some mentally ill extremist:
"The occupation lasted fifty long years. Estonians became second-class citizens in their own country. Farms were collectivized and ruined, and the prosperity built up during independence was destroyed. Arrest and deportation remained a constant threat".
Suchj frases damage the idea of "Singing revolution". The serious person can't tell about occupation even if politiscians want it for ceasing some treaties about integrity of the States and its borders.
The Estonians had never been "the second classe" citizens in the Soviet time - they ruled their country by themselves - exactly as today (Laar, Ansip & C°). But today the Estonians are the slaves of the USA fogetting own dignity and national honour...
Farms had never been destoyed or ruined, they were only nationalized - the reach lost their properties and the poor got it.
The agriculture was developed wery well, it was on the very high level, that the EU countries had never had. After the USSR crashing the agriculture was destroied and the farms were given back to owners or to polticians.
Estonia is very poor country now, in the Soviet time it wasn't.
Arrests and deportations finished after the Stalin death and the politics of Stalin were condamned in 195...
This text is prepared for very stuped and limited persons, and, o miracle, someone trusts it...
I took only one frase, but almost all text is extremily false. The story of the Singing Revolution is damaged by such a text.
In some Estonian journals many people have expressed their feelings and emotions, why to go into the sphere of extremists - marginals?
***
TO JUSTIN
I feel really sad that You have had such a terrible experience in Baltic countries. I didn't know that the violence is just at so high level.
The situation is really unbeleivable and insane.
I hope that in the future You will see some positive side of Estonia too... I really hope... I can only hope... ... ...
The Russian Federation is led by small men who are afraid of the truth.
"The Estonians had never been "the second classe" citizens in the Soviet time - they ruled their country by themselves - exactly as today (Laar, Ansip & C°). But today the Estonians are the slaves of the USA fogetting own dignity and national honour..." --Helga
Whom are you kidding, lady?! Maybe you'll say now that Americans are killing Russians in Estonia or deporting them? I don't wish you and other Russians who whine about "human right abuses" in the Baltic states to experience even 1% of the treatment that Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians received by the Great "Liberator" Mother Russia after "liberating" them during and then again after WWII.
How many Russians have been killed or deported to Siberia by the Estonian government? Tens upon tens of thousands (as it happened with Balts as they were being "liberated" by the "peace loving" Russians)? Hundreds? Tens? Maybe just one? Right! So stop lying.
I think the situation of Russian minority is really terrible in Estonia.It can be seen as some kind of apartheid. Russian speaking people should have right to use their own language in the schools and work places. This kind of discrimination doesn´t belong to the real democracy.
Yrjö Rosendal,
What is so special about many of the "Russian speaking people" that they seem to be expecting that people around them must adopt the Russian language and culture wherever they are? Are they too lazy or too uneducated to learn the language of the country they live in?
Why don't you tell us how many "real democracies" are there in the world which will impose on the native population the language of an ethnic minority just because the parents or grandparents of the minority were sent in by the occupying force to replace that part of native population which was eliminated through repressions? Maybe such democracy could be Russia, where ethnic and racial minorities are being constantly killed by nationalists and the police don't pay to it much attention?
So, can you show some real discrimination against Russians? Or is it just that some more of the usual unsubstantiated pro-Kremlin lip service?