DISINFO: Ukraine’s new language law violates country’s constitution
SUMMARY
On April 25 the Ukrainian Parliament passed a new language law, that is a violation of Ukraine’s Constitution, Russian speakers will be discriminated against and their rights will be violated. The new law violates scores of international agreements and treaties that Ukraine was party to. The law for obligatory use of Ukrainian language in the state sector is the cherry on the “Russophobic” cake that Ukraine has been baking for 5 years.
RESPONSE
The new language law simply makes use of Ukrainian mandatory in all official government and administration business. Suggesting the new law violates the special status of the Russian language supposedly enshrined in the Constitution is a fake; Russian has never had special status in Ukraine. Furthermore, article 10 of the Ukrainian Constitution grants special status to the Ukrainian language as the official state language. Article 11 of the Constitution meanwhile, guarantees the development and free functioning of indigenous and minority languages, be they Greek, Bulgarian or Russian. Claiming that the new language law violates international treaties and charters is another example of distortion and fear mongering by the Russian media regarding the use of language in Ukraine. The European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, which Ukraine ratified, is designed to protect and promote regional and minority languages and to enable speakers to use them both in private and public life. In no way does the new language law infringe on the rights of minority languages, Ukraine continues to support national minority languages in culture and education. Read more cases about the new Ukrainian law here.