HS Foreign 27.12.2001 - Finno-Ugric Mari people of Central Russia complain of ethnic persecution

By Mika Parkkonen in Yoshkar-Ola, Mari Republic

A wave of ethnic discrimination is currently underway in the Mari Republic in Central Russia. The apparent goal is to weaken the position of the local Mari or Cheremis people, who speak a Finno-Ugric language distantly related to Finnish.

Ever since it took office about a year ago, the government of President Leonid Markelov, a supporter of hard-line nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovski, has pursued an active policy of oppression against the indigenous minority.

During the past year the section of the Ministry of Education responsible for drafting school curricula in the Mari language was shut down. The language itself, which has the constitutional status of an official language in the republic, was declared an elective subject in the schools, and the printing of Mari language opposition newspapers in the republic's printing presses was banned.

The new government has also cancelled support for Mari culture and has terminated the employment of more than 80 Mari civil servants. As a result, almost the entire Mari-speaking intelligentsia is without work.

The Mari Republic

lies 850 kilometres east of Moscow. Of the 760,000 inhabitants, about 330,000 are ethnic Mari and about 360,000 are Russian. However, the Russians have an overwhelming majority in President Markelov's administration and in the government.

Only two government ministers are classified as Mari by nationality. Only about a dozen ethnic Mari work in the President's administration, and none are represented in the important press committee.

"Before the elections the Mari people

were moving toward the sunrise. When Markelov won the elections I felt that I was plunging into a black tunnel", exclaims Viktor Nikolayev, head of the Mari National Theatre. He has become a figurehead of the New Mari political movement which openly opposes the present leader of the republic.

Running against Markelov in the second round of the elections was former President Vyacheslav Kislitsin, seen by the Mari as a guarantor of a nationality policy favourable to their interests.

"He was not openly willing to negotiate, but he was always open to persuasion", Nikolayev points out. "In Russia democracy has not been rooted very deeply in the people. This can be clearly seen whenever there is a change of power. Now the direction of politics changed completely", he points out.

The law guaranteeing the status of the Mari language

has been overturned because it was seen to be in violation of the laws of the Russian Federation. Proposed new legislation taking away the special status of the Mari language has already been drafted, but it has not yet been implemented.

"The bill caused so much controversy that Markelov had to appoint a committee to re-examine it. We were able to add so many clauses improving the development and status of the language that the President finally put the whole proposal on the shelf", Nikolayev laughs.

However, the Mari opposition is not strong enough to prevent the passage of the discriminatory bills in the republic's Duma, in which only 18 of the 67 members are ethnic Mari.

In addition, most of the representatives in the Duma are civil servants and heads of state farms, for whom voting according to the wishes of the President is a means of self-preservation.

As Nikolayev sees it

, Markelov shares the view of the Zhirinovski followers, according to which Russia does not need republics based on ethnic nationality.

"According to his way of thinking, everyone is free to choose the Russian culture. However, Russia is a multinational state, which cannot live without its national republics."

The theatre director complains that the President is not willing to speak with the opposition.

"The President considers us his enemies, and has prevented us from getting onto the pages of the newspapers. Editors dare not publish our opinions because they are afraid of getting fired and losing state support", Nikolayev explains.

In his view, the situation is so inflamed that his wife and daughter have moved out of the Mari Republic.

"The threat became very concrete. I started to fear on their behalf", Nikolayev says.

"A coffin recently appeared at the door of the leading figure in the Markinskovo District, who had openly expressed his opposition to Markelov. His picture was glued onto the coffin, along with a time of death. Nobody saw who had left the coffin."

The President's administration

is constantly trying to abolish the Mari National Theatre and absorb it into a local Russian theatre. Now officials are harassing the theatre with constant inspections by health and fire safety authorities. Shortcomings of one kind or another are constantly being found.

"If the President thinks that he can get us to fall to our knees and beg for mercy, he is mistaken. We will continue our work among our people more enthusiastically than ever, and show them who it is that they voted for."

Nikolayev is prepared for a three-year struggle, after which the next Presidential elections will be held. In those elections, the Mari opposition hope to get their own candidate elected President.

Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 17.12.2001