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.

 

• Approximately 15000 – 20000 people participated in the protest actions against the education reform
• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga about the protest actions against the education reform
• Ruling of the Supreme Court in the case of Vasilijs Kononovs
• More than 500 children participated at Minorities Children and Youth Sport Festival
• Riga City Councils deputy Aleksandrs Gilmans on the role of Russian language in Latvia in the context of possible accession of Russia to the EU
• Russias State Council deputy speaker Dmitry Rogozin about the status of Russian language

According to police information, approximately 15 000–20 000 minorities’ representatives participated at the protest action against the education reform in Riga, and 500 – in Liepaja, on 1May. A conflict between National Democratic Party, who organized the unauthorized walk against the education reform in Liepaja, and the municipal police developed when policemen asked the leader of the party Jevgenijs Osipovs to discontinue the unauthorized activities. Two activists of the party have been detained and put under administrative arrest from 7 till 8 days, but Jevgenijs Osipovs has escaped. Protest action took place also in Daugavpils.

According to police information, approximately 15000–20000 minorities representatives participated at the protest action against the education reform in Riga, and 500 – in Liepaja, on 1May. A conflict between National Democratic Party, who organized the unauthorized walk against the education reform in Liepaja, and the municipal police developed when policemen asked the leader of the party Jevgenijs Osipovs to discontinue the unauthorized activities. Two activists of the party have been detained and put under administrative arrest from 7 till 8 days, but Jevgenijs Osipovs has escaped. Protest action took place also in Daugavpils. Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Latvijas Avize, Chas

Chas features statements of the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga about the protest actions against the education reform. During the interview to the Latvian Radio the president has said that the goal of the protest actions is to project a negative image of Latvia to its neighborhood in the European community.

The verdict of the Supreme Court in the case of Vasilijs Kononovs was that he is guilty of the war crimes committed in 1944 as accused, sentencing him to 1 year and 8 months imprisonment, which is equivalent to the time he has already spent in prison during the pre-trial investigation.

The verdict of the Supreme Court in the case of Vasilijs Kononovs was that he is guilty of the war crimes committed in 1944 as accused, sentencing him to 1 year and 8 months imprisonment, which is equivalent to the time he has already spent in prison during the pre-trial investigation. Latvijas Avize

More than 500 children participated at Minorities’ Children and Youth Sport Festival, organized by the Latvian Olympic Academy. Previously Russian-language newspapers printed the article of the representative of the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-language schools Tatjana Favorska calling to boycott the festival. She motivated her call by the fact that the government continuously ignores claims of the education reform’s opponents.

More than 500 children participated at Minorities Children and Youth Sport Festival, organized by the Latvian Olympic Academy. Previously Russian-language newspapers printed the article of the representative of the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-language schools Tatjana Favorska calling to boycott the festival. She motivated her call by the fact that the government continuously ignores claims of the education reforms opponents. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize reprints fragments of the article by Riga City Councils deputy Aleksandrs Gilmans, published in the Latvian internet portal delfi.lv. The deputy discusses the role of Russian language in Latvia in the context of the future possible EU enlargement towards Russia, stating that the bureaucratic system of the EU tends to expand and that Russia is one of the most attractive states for it. According to Aleksandrs Gilmans, the role of Russian language in Latvia will increase significantly when the inevitability of this event will become obvious.

Russia’s State Council deputy speaker Dmitry Rogozin during the Russian language festival Russian Word, which took place in St. Petersburg, has stated that the Baltic States are afraid to grant a status of the state language to Russian, and promised that Russian shortly would become and official language of the EU.

Russias State Council deputy speaker Dmitry Rogozin during the Russian language festival Russian Word, which took place in St. Petersburg, has stated that the Baltic States are afraid to grant a status of the state language to Russian, and promised that Russian shortly would become and official language of the EU. Latvijas Avize