Development of the effective cooperation of the ZIRS (Zdruzenie inteligencie Rusínov Slovenska - Association of the Rusyns Intelligentsia of Slovakia) with the human rights and national minorities organizations in Slovakia and the Rusyns sister organizations abroad.

Submitted by: Zdruzenie inteligencie Rusínov Slovenska - ZIRS (Association of the Rusyns Intelligentsia of Slovakia)

Address:

Jan Lipinsky

Pribisova 8

841 05 Bratislava

Tel., fax: 07 / 71 69 70

Banking connection: Slovak crown account: 669 644 - 019 / 0900 SLSP, a.s. Foreign axchange account: 34833 - 4400155042 / 0200 VUB, a.s.

The Aim of the Activity of the Organization

The ZIRS is a non-governmental, non-profit organization associating in its ranks the representatives of the Rusyn descent intelligentsia and the sympatizers of this national minority. The ZIRS is active in the field of the cultural revival, national self-consciousness of the Rusyns in Slovakia, the protection of their national minority rights and the prevention of the conflicts in the nationally-mixed territory in the region of the north-eastern Slovakia. The situation of the Rusyns in Slovakia is very critical - there is not a single school here with at last one hour taught in the Rusyn language (despite of the willingness on the side of the citizens - according to the research of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak republic - MS SR, for the academic year 1996-97 around 500 children from the 1st to the 4th grade showed their willingness for being educated in the Rusyn language. The schoolbooks for the 1st grade of the Primary school were published already in 1994, but till now they are stored at the MS SR. Every jear new and new administrative obstacles are put forward so that the education cannot start). There is no Rusyn regional radio broadcasting (according to Dr. Jozef Bobok, the chairman of the Radio board of Slovakia and Mr. Ján Tuzinský, Director-General of the Slovak Radio: „... the citizens of the Rusyn nationality are not kept till today (January 14, 1997) in the materials of the Narional Council of Slovakia as the recognized national minority“ - under these circumstances we (the Rusyns) have no right to any broadcasting. Such an approach can be marked as typical for the contemporary government and its attitude to solution of the Rusyns problems). Non-existence of the education, non-existence of the chair of the Rusyn language and literature and the radio-broadcasting create, with other unfavourable circumstances (the historical development till the present time, a difficult economic situation in the region, general disfavour of the present state power towards the minorities), the conditions for the total and the irreversible assimilation of the Rusyns in Slovakia. The present situation of the Rusyns in Slovakia can be judged, with out exaggeralion as the critical one. The goal of the ZIRS is to assist by its activities to the development of the democratic education and culture, to make an influence so that the Rusyns in Slovakia could use as broadly as possible the newest achievements of the science and technology and they could contribute to the scientific, technical and cultural potentional of Slovakia. ZIRS endeavours by its activity to avoid the possible conflict on the nationally mixed territory. The methods of the ZIRS activities can be divided into two groups - a cultural and an educational level and a legislative and a legal level. As for the cultural and educational field the ZIRS is active mainly in those regions of Slovakia which are or were in the past inhabited by the Rusyns. Tthe Rusyn nation has never had its own statehood and territory, in which the Rusyns originally lived compactly at the beginning of the 2Oth century, is at the present time divided into 5 states - Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Rumania. As a result of this circumstance and as a consequence of the intensive Ukrainization of the Rusyns throughout 40 years of Communism a mass assimilation is taking place. Assimilation is at the present time aggravated by the artificially brought contradictions, directly in the heart of the Rusyn minority. These contradictions hit the most sensitive areas: strifes and controversies Orthodox vs. Greek-Catholics, Rusyns vs.Ukrainians. By its activity the ZIRS is aiming to contribute to reduce and to sop this process as well as to enhance the national, cultural and civic self-conciousness of the Rusyns. In the legislative and legal field the ZIRS works in order to gain the basic constitutional rights for the Rusyns of Slovakia. The ZIRS will be active in creating of a good cooperation with the organizations, pomoting and defending the human rights in Slovakia with the organizations of the European Community countries which are active in this field, with the sister Rusyn organizations in Poland, Hungary, Rumania, The Czech Republic, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Canada and the United States (in the U.S. there live at the present time the greatest number of the Rusyns-emigrants and their descendants). The ZIRS will try to recruit and to drag in its activities as many as possible of the representatives of the Rusyns intelligentsia, who have already in many cases resigned to find a solution of the problems of its people (as a consequence of the non-existence of the unifying force, organization, but who, when addressed, welcome the cooperation. The ZIRS will do its best to combine and to cordinate its activities in the centre (Bratislava) with the activities in the territory inhabited by the Rusyns.

The activities of the ZIRS till the present time

The ZIRS started to develop its activities in January 1996. The proposed project is a natural continuation of its up-to-present day activities. In the first year of its existence the ZIRS addressed and asked for the assistance the representatives of all the political parties, foreign embassies in Slovakia and by the mass-media informed abroad public about the problems and its activities.

The summary of the visited organizations and personalities:

• Mr. Michal Kovac - President of Slovakia
• Mr. Jozef Kalman - Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Board for National Minorities
• Mr. Jan Tuzinsky - former Director - General of the Slovak Radio
• Mr. Juraj Zervan - Director of Department for National Minorities Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia
• Mrs. Beneova, Mrs. Ondrasova - Department for the Education of the National Minorities, Ministry of Education
• Mrs. Ivana Pavukova - Director of SKOI (Permanent Commission of the Civic Institute) in Slovakia
• Mrs. Zuzana Szatmary - Charta 77 Foundation
• Mr. Juraj Kralik - Slovak Humanitarian Centre
• Mr. Miroslav Kusy - UNESCO Centrum for Education for Human Rights
• Eleanor Bly Sutter - Charge d affaires a.i. of the US Embassy in Slovakia
• Georgios Zavvos - Ambassador and Head of the EC delegation
• Embassy of France in Slovakia

Representatives of the political parties and movements:

• KDH (Christian-Democratic Movement) - Jan Carnogursky, Frantisek Miklosko
• DU (Democratic Union) - Jan Budaj
• SDL (Party of the Democratic Left) - L'ubomír Fogas
• Egyutteles - Arpad Duka Zolyomi - the meeting is arranged and prepared in a short time

We have asked for a legal assistance of the Rusyn problem in Slovakia:

• Office of the Legal Defence of the Ethnic Minorities in Kosice
• Charta 77 Foundation

We have made the presentations:

• the seminar of the Council of Europe Information Centre on the languages of minorities in Bratislava
• the seminar „The Subcarpathian Rus and the Central Europe, Prague, October 1996
• the Fourth World Rusyn Congres, Budapest, May 1997

We have informed regurarly about our activities the sister Rusyn organizations abroad. We have succeeded to bring the activity of our organization through the permanent representatives to the regions of Slovakia with the Rusyn population. ZIRS clubs are working in Bardejov, Presov, Svidník, Medzilaborce, Snina and Stropkov. We are preparing to establish ZIRS clubs in Stara L'ubovna and Kosice too in short time.

Summary of presenting project

Project Devolopment of effective cooperation ZIRS with organizations ..... is long-term project. Goals of this project in first phase are:

• To establish condition for quality cooperation with organizations which are working in Slovakia in field of protection of human rights and rights of national minorities. The task of coordinator will be researching the situation in this region of Slovakia, finding and selecting Slovak organization for partnerships for future cooperation. Stress will be placed on building up and expanding existing cooperation and finding new long-term partners. In this area, we will solicit the leaders of the national minorities in Slovakia. Our activities will be reciprocal coordination to get maximum effect for solutions of questions of our national minorities.
• To establish condition for quality cooperation with Rusyn organizations in neighboring countries and overseas. The task of coordinator will be researching the situation in these countries, finding all the organizations for partnerships for future cooperation and coordination for solution of questions of national rights of Rusyns. ZIRS presented its activities at the 4th World Congress of Rusyns in Budapest in June 1997. This occasion we used for the new long-term connections for cooperation with fraternal Rusyn organizations abroad. In the future we want to solve the situation of Rusyns by coordinating the activities of foreign partners.
• To eliminate prejudices and build positive image of Rusyn minority with the Slovak public.
• Finding possibilities for the support of the ZIRS activities regarding institutions which are working in the fields of human rights and rights of national minorities and state institutions.
• Task of coordinator will also be:
• preparing program of concrete steps and ZIRS activities for next time period
• coordinate the work of activists and coordinators of ZIRS
• manage effective fundraiseng with goal of managing another sources for realization of ZIRS program
• periodically inform the Slovak public about problems of Rusyn minority and about solution of its problems, inform about ZIRS activities in this field.

Concrete steps of ZIRS activities for next period

• To establish regional village cultural groups which will be connected with ZIRS clubs. Information about problems of our region will go directly to the people through these structures, due to the absence of Rusyn regional radio.
• To find regional coordinators of ZIRS clubs, to find sources of financial supports for their work and technical equipment for offices.
• To create regional consultational, juridical, cultural and public center RE, like opposite to consulate of Ukraine in Presov, with goal to preclude conflicts and solve problems in peace, to organize seminars obout status of national minorities in democratic society, protection of human and citizens rights, history of the region etc.
• To organize research of the origin of Rusyns with coperation of historians from neighbouring countries.
• To publish historical map of Rusyn settlemens of Rusyns villages (1786, 1806, 1881, 1900, 1921), affordably priced.
• To found Rusyns student’s societies in university centers (Bratislava, Presov, Nitra, Kosice), to organize seminars and lessons for their members in economical, juridical, politological and social-science topics. To find and to give chance for student’s exchanges for the best student’s with cooperation with Rusyn organizations in USA and with third sector in Slovakia
• To develop similar programs for secundary student’s by beginning such club near regional ZIRS clubs
• To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Visla operation (action) and 50th anniversary voluntary of resettlement of Rusyns from Slovakia to Ukraine
• To organize high quality performances with Gypsy, Ruthenian, Slovak and Ukrainian ensembles in the region
• To organize traveling exhibitions of Ruthenian artists in regional centers and to discuss with citizens about problems of the region. In this way we will grow the authority of our association
• To organize week of Rusyn culture in Medzilaborce in the Museum of modern art A.Warhol and to organize exhibition of Rusyn painters and other artists including those from other countries
• To coordinate ZIRS with local government and regional committee of Civil Service also representative of the political parties in the region
• To manage cooperation with representatives of Greek-Catholic and Orthodox churches the important thing is to prepare teaching of Ruthenian language as an integral part of religions training
• To coordinate governments of Hungary, Poland, Russia, Austria and Slovakia to originate repairs of military cemeteries for the victims of World war I. In about 100 Ruthenian villages in Slovakia are military cemeteries. This act could be helpful for ZIRS.

Goal of the project

Goal of this project is creating quality base for future activities of ZIRS for protection of citizens and national rights of Rusyns and to increase public awareness of this problem. After one year of our experience we believe it is necessary to transfer this enthusiasm to a profesional level. Realization of this project can transform to profesional organization, which with our activities can greatly improve to change situation in the field of national minorities in Slovakia.

Organizators of the project

• Coordinator of the project-employee in ZIRS office for full-time. He will be responsible for communications with partners home and abroad. He will be dividing work between activists and to control and evaluate.
• Comunicator with foreign partners - mainly through Internet, also making use of personal contacts,
• Manager responsible for communication with public. He will manage to put new information to the media.

Hoped for results and projected contributions

ZIRS does not have its own office or profesional employees at this time. Realization of this project will be helpful in the field of protecting of human rights, rights of national minorities and building civil society and greatly enriching and increasing the effectiveness of ZIRS activities. Expanding ZIRS activities and realization of prespective works to improve the situation of Rusyns in Slovakia and their rights under the constitution.

This project will create condiions for quality cooperation of ZIRS with partner organizations in Slovakia and in Central Europe and with fraternal organizations abroad in the future.

Back To Carpatho-Rusyn Knowledge Base Main Page