Association of Poles in Lithuania
Encyclopedia
The Association of Poles in Lithuania is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together members of Polish minority in Lithuania
. It numbers between 6,000 to 11,000 members. It defends the civil rights
of the Polish minority and engages in educational, cultural and economic activities. It is the largest Polish organization in Lithuania, and was created in 1990.
It organizes meetings ('Zjazdy' - 'congresses') of Polish minority, and publishes a magazine
, Nasz Czas. The latter was created in 2001 through the merger of the former Association magazine, "Nasza Gazeta", Estonia's Polish minority magazine "Nasza Polonia" and the Latvian Polish minority magazine "Łatgalia". The publication is supported by Senate of Poland
and The Foundation Aid to Poles in the East.
The Association is not engaged in political activities, leaving them to the Polish minority political party
, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania.
Polish minority in Lithuania
The Polish minority in Lithuania numbered 234,989 persons, according to the Lithuanian census of 2001, or 6.74% of the total population of Lithuania. It is the largest ethnic minority in the country and the second largest Polish diaspora group among the post-Soviet states...
. It numbers between 6,000 to 11,000 members. It defends the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of the Polish minority and engages in educational, cultural and economic activities. It is the largest Polish organization in Lithuania, and was created in 1990.
It organizes meetings ('Zjazdy' - 'congresses') of Polish minority, and publishes a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, Nasz Czas. The latter was created in 2001 through the merger of the former Association magazine, "Nasza Gazeta", Estonia's Polish minority magazine "Nasza Polonia" and the Latvian Polish minority magazine "Łatgalia". The publication is supported by Senate of Poland
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
and The Foundation Aid to Poles in the East.
The Association is not engaged in political activities, leaving them to the Polish minority political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania.