Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

• Latvijas Avize interviews representatives of the State Language Centre regarding its recent appeal addressed to Latvian residents to speak at work places in Latvian language only
• Security Police initiated verification of “separatist” messages distributed through social networks

Latvijas Avize interviews representatives of the State Language Centre regarding its recent appeal addressed to Latvian residents to speak at work places in Latvian language only. According to the SLC it is inadmissible that employees fulfilling their work duties communicate with each other in foreign language. The SLC called the employers to hold conversation with employees about the importance of the usage of state language fulfilling professional duties and all the state officials to use Latvian language when giving interviews to mass media. Head of the SLC Maris Baltins says that the message was misunderstood by Russia’s media and even some Latvian officials. He approves that this call is addressed to the state and municipal employees when they, for instance, are solving client’s problem in the presence of the client. But he stresses that it does not mean that employees talking about private affairs “in their offices” cannot use foreign language. Mr Baltins also says that this call is addressed not so much to the ethnic minorities but more to ethnic Latvians calling them to form a corresponding language environment so that ethnic minorities could use their state language proficiency. According to the SLC language control regional department Sarmite Pavulena, the call was made after receiving of a number of complaints that employees in different institutions communication with each other in foreign language. Therefore, as there is no legal regulation forbidding such situation, the SLC came with such statement. According to the SLC, the number of complaints about violation of the State Language law decreased in 2014 – 980 complaints received and 769 persons were punished, including 423 for insufficient state language proficiency usage for fulfilment of professional duties. In 2015, the SLC is planning to conduct inspections in most of the schools.

The Security Police initiated verification of “separatist” messages distributed through social networks, including publication of Latvia’s map on which Latgale region (region in the Eastern part of Latvia) is shown as a separate region called “Latgale People’s Republic.”  Also there is a specific Facebook page created called “Latgale People’s Republic.” Popularisation of separatist idea will also be discussed and evaluated by the Saeima’s National Security Committee. Vesti Segodnya