Legal mechanisms for minority recognition in Kazakhstan, Lithuania, and Russia

What is it about?

This chapter looks at instruments in Kazakhstan, Lithuania, and Russia that are in place for the recognition of national minorities. Minority recognition is an important procedure for confirming minority identity and for identifying a set of minority-specific rights and their rightsholders. These three states, despite sharing a similar past and legal traditions, currently present different patterns of post-Soviet development, including national legal systems and minority-related policies. Kazakhstan is often considered as economically advanced and ethnically diverse country in the region of Central Asia and is a signatory to the Convention on Guarantee of Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities of the Commonwealth of Independent States (the Convention draws from the UN and OSCE minority protection standards). Lithuania is a relatively small country, but it hosts numerous minorities and adheres to various international and European standards concerning protection of minority-related rights. Russia is one of the main regional powers, with various national groups and indigenous peoples living on its territory and governed by the state’s extensive legal system. Both Lithuania and Russia are state parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorites of the Council of Europe.

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