Dear Amnesty International: Don't jump to conclusions

The devil may cite scripture for his purpose...

Recent headlines in the region are trumpeting the fact that Russian-speakers in Estonia earn smaller wages than Estonian-speakers. A fresh study from Tartu University says non-Estonian men living in Estonia earn 10-15% less than Estonian men. The study notes the wage difference is due to poor knowledge of the Estonian language, different cultural backgrounds, and the difficulties entering the labor market. There was no mention of direct discrimination.

We hope Amnesty International won’t leap to conclusions on this one. Russian-speakers in Estonia, on average, are poorly educated versus Estonian-speakers. In all the countries we can think of (except perhaps the former USSR) lawyers earn more than tractor drivers. Amnesty International should get to used to this simple fact of life.