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.

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rejects the appeal of the Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre to postpone the visit of two rapporteurs to Latvia
• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga announced amendments to the law On meetings, walks and pickets
• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga comments on Vladimir Zhirinovskys threats of terrorist attacks in Latvia
• Report Ethnic structure, inequality and the Governance of the Public Sector in Latvia
• Interview with the Minister of Education and Science Juris Radzevics
• Comments on the appeal of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia to the European Parliament to grant Russian status of the EU official language
• Upcoming regulations for foreigners applying for the permanent residence in Latvia
• FHRUL MP Vladimirs Buzajevs about problems related to the registration of children of Latvain non-citizens and foreigners
• Commentary on the European Week against Racism
• Interview with the MP of RussiaState Council Konstantin Zatulin
• Celebration of the Muslim New Year, organized by the Uzbek cultural society Nur

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (CEPA) has rejected the appeal of the Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre to postpone the visit to Latvia of two rapporteurs, who will evaluate the issues of education reform and observation of minority rights. President of the CEPA Peter Schieder in his letter to Ingrida Udre has stated that CEPA regards the visit of two rapporteurs to Latvia on 29 and 30 March as necessary.

Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (CEPA) has rejected the appeal of the Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre to postpone the visit to Latvia of two rapporteurs, who will evaluate the issues of education reform and observation of minority rights. President of the CEPA Peter Schieder in his letter to Ingrida Udre has stated that CEPA regards the visit of two rapporteurs to Latvia on 29 and 30 March as necessary. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf

President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga has announced amendments to the law “On meetings, walks and pickets”, stipulating that outdoor meetings of Saeima and municipality deputies and deputy candidates with their electorate, as well as organized and publicly announced pickets and walks, must be coordinated with the municipality.

President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga has announced amendments to the law On meetings, walks and pickets, stipulating that outdoor meetings of Saeima and municipality deputies and deputy candidates with their electorate, as well as organized and publicly announced pickets and walks, must be coordinated with the municipality. Chas

President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga has evaluated expressions of the vice-speaker of the Russia State Council Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who has declared his intentions to exterminate Latvian people, as unacceptable for the elected official. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, protesting against Latvia’s accession to the NATO and implementation of the education reform, has promised to organize terrorist attacks in Latvia, if the state ‘will touch Russians or Russian schools’. Commentator of the

President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga has evaluated expressions of the vice-speaker of the Russia State Council Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who has declared his intentions to exterminate Latvian people, as unacceptable for the elected official. Vladimir Zhirinovsky, protesting against Latvias accession to the NATO and implementation of the education reform, has promised to organize terrorist attacks in Latvia, if the state ‘will touch Russians or Russian schools. Commentator of the Latvijas Avize points to the necessity of taking these threats seriously, given the fact that 11,45% of Russian electorate, i.e., approximately 7,000,000 people, have voted for Zhirinovsky and his party. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Telegraf, Chas

‘Latvia should form a unified, integrated and liberal-democratic society with the wide rights for minorities’, says Artis Pabriks, author of the research study “Ethnic structure, inequality and the Governance of the Public Sector in Latvia” and a newly appointed head of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee. According to the study, ethnic Latvians dominate in the state sector, in spite of the fact that they comprise 58% of total population, and ethnic Russians, for example, comprise 28%. In the Saeima, minorities’ representation is 20%, but in the government they are not represented. Artis Pabriks regards the large amount of non-citizens, not willing to naturalize, and lack of Latvian language knowledge among many Latvian residents,  as the main cleavages in the society. 

‘Latvia should form a unified, integrated and liberal-democratic society with the wide rights for minorities, says Artis Pabriks, author of the research study Ethnic structure, inequality and the Governance of the Public Sector in Latvia and a newly appointed head of the Saeima Foreign Affairs Committee. According to the study, ethnic Latvians dominate in the state sector, in spite of the fact that they comprise 58% of total population, and ethnic Russians, for example, comprise 28%. In the Saeima, minorities representation is 20%, but in the government they are not represented. Artis Pabriks regards the large amount of non-citizens, not willing to naturalize, and lack of Latvian language knowledge among many Latvian residents, as the main cleavages in the society. Latvijas Avize, Chas

Chas features an interview with the Minister of Education and Science Juris Radzevics about the implementation of the education reform. Juris Radzevics believes that communication between the Ministry and the society has not been effective up to now, and wants to create a bridge between the power structures and the public at least in the field of education.

Latvijas Avize features an article about the appeal of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia to the European Parliament to provide official status to the Russian language in the EU. According to the officials of the EU institutions, interviewed by the journalist, decision lies with Latvia, not with the EU. In order to claim the status of the EU official language, Russian should be first recognized as the state language in Latvia, and then also get an approval from the other 24 member states, which is not likely.

Cabinet of Ministers Committee has approved the draft regulation stipulating that foreigners applying for permanent residence in Latvia should pass the Latvian language examination.

Cabinet of Ministers Committee has approved the draft regulation stipulating that foreigners applying for permanent residence in Latvia should pass the Latvian language examination. Telegraf

Chas publishes a commentary of FHRUL MP Vladimirs Buzajevs on the situation with a 6-month old child of the Latvian non-citizen and the Lithuanian citizen. According to Buzajevs, the child cannot be registered as a Latvian non-citizen and acquire a personal code on the grounds that one of the parents has a valid citizenship of the other country.

Latvijas avize comments on the European Week against Racism, which is being organized in Latvia for a second year in the row. According to the journalist Aija Calite, public attention had been again drawn to the fact that racism exists in Latvia, and studies claiming to prove it have been published. Aija Calite believes that Latvian people are not obliged to prove all the time that they are not racists. Although Aija Calite cannot guarantee that there are no racists in Latvia, she believes that according to the principle of individual responsibility in the liberal democratic society, community at large cannot bear responsibility for someones racist attitudes.

Telegraf features an interview with the MP of Russia State Council Konstantin Zatulin (Jedinaya Rossia) about the relationship between Latvia and Russia.

Chas writes about the celebration of the Muslim New Year, organized by the Uzbek cultural society Nur.