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.

• Article about the education reform
• State Security Police initiate a criminal case on violating national and racial equality and restricting human rights
• Latvijas Avize prints an article about the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
• Russia attempts to draw attention of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to the minority situation in Latvia
• Russian publicist and political analyst Vitaly Tretiakov talks about social integration in Latvia

Neatkariga Rita Avize features an article about the education reform. The Minister of Education and Science Ina Druviete believes that parties should not manipulate with the education reform in their pre-election programs and adds that she is always ready to discuss any problems as well as pseudo-problems concerning the implementation of the reform. The Head of the Education State Inspection Zigfrids Grinpauks argues that all preconditions for successful implementation of the reform were ensured, however, he notes that teachers Latvian language skills could have been better. The official reports that thorough inspections in minority schools will be conducted in April and May. The researcher of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies Svetlana Djackova notes that issues concerning the minority education reform have piled up within last years. She believes that the governments readiness to establish a dialogue, depoliticise the reform and increase the involvement of schools, parents and students in the implementation of the reform are the prerequisites for reaching a compromise.

The State Security Police has initiated a criminal case against the national radical newspaper

The State Security Police has initiated a criminal case against the national radical newspaper DDD on violating national and racial equality and restricting human rights. As reported, the former Parliamentary Secretary of the Secretariat of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Aleksandrs Brandavs asked the General Prosecutors Office to evaluate few articles printed by the newspaper as according to Aleksandrs Brandavs the articles contained anti-Semitic statements. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Chas, Telegraf

Latvijas Avize prints an article about ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. The article provides the analyses of experiences of other European countries.

In the session of the Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Russia tried to draw attention of the organisation to the minority situation in Latvia. Russia pointed to the plans of the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia to implement the primary education reform, which foresees the reduction of classes in a native language, and argued that it would bring new protest actions against the education reform. Russia called the OSCE to intervene in this situation.

In the session of the Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Russia tried to draw attention of the organisation to the minority situation in Latvia. Russia pointed to the plans of the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia to implement the primary education reform, which foresees the reduction of classes in a native language, and argued that it would bring new protest actions against the education reform. Russia called the OSCE to intervene in this situation. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya features an interview with Russian publicist and political analyst Vitaly Tretiakov about social integration in Latvia. Vitaly Tretiakov criticizes Latvia for the implementation of the education reform. He states that Latvia implements discriminating policies towards Russian-speakers and that Latvia does not observe even minimal standards of human rights.