Linguistic rights of national minorities in Lithuania – aspects of the  situation of polish national minority (in the context of international  national minorities rights protection standards)

This article provides the review of the linguistic rights of national minorities in the practical aspects of the situation of polish national minority. The paper discusses the essential rights for the preservation of national identity: the right to use the language of national minority in communication with local authorities and in public, in the electoral process, in topographic indications, as well as the right to write names and surnames in the language of national minority. These rights are presented in the context of constitutional doctrine of state language protection, as it largely affects the content of mentioned rights of national minorities.