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.

• Newspapers continue to write about the ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
• Interview with the head of the Subcommittee on Minority Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Latvian MP Boriss Cilevics
• Latvian MPs: Latvia is not ready to ratify the 12th protocol to the to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
• Latvijas Avize reports on a seminar of minority schools directors on the education reform
• Russian delegation is planning to raise an issue of mass non-citizenship in Latvia during the summit of the Council of Europe
• Chas interviews leader of a national-radical youth organisation ‘Visu – Latvijai!

Newspapers continue to write about the ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Newspapers continue to write about the ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Neatkariga Rita Avize features an article by a columnist Viktors Avotins, who believes that ratification of the convention with the planned reservations and minority definition, developed by a working group, could increase political and ethnic tensions in society. Vesti Segodnya prints an article by the MP Vladimirs Buzajevs (For Human Rights in the United Latvia), who believes that the Council of Europe will obligate Latvia to cancel the reservation concerning the usage of minority language in communication with the local authorities. Vesti Segodnya and Chas also print a call of the FHRUL to participate in a picket near the building of the Cabinet of Ministers on 17 May, when the government is planning to review the ratification issue. Neatkariga Rita Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Chas

Telegraf prints an interview with the head of Subcommittee on Minority Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Latvian MP Boriss Cilevics (Peoples Harmony Party) about the judgement of the Constitutional Court regarding compliance of the minority education reform to the Constitution of Latvia. Although the MP believes that claimants should be dissatisfied with the Courts decision as it refused their claim to cancel the reform, he also points to several positive aspects of the verdict. According to Cilevics, the court recognised that minority students should have a right to choose in which language to answer during the lessons and that there is no effective system of control of the quality of education. When commenting on the ratification of the convention, Cilevics states that the reservation concerning the usage of minority language in communication with the local authorities could cause the largest objections form the European institutions.

Latvijas Avize reports on a meeting of the representatives of the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee with the representative of the Latvian government to international human rights institutions Inga Reine. Possibilities to ratify the 12th, 13th and 14th protocols to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in Latvia were discussed during the meeting. Among other, the MPs recognised that Latvia is not ready to ratify the 12th protocol of the convention prohibiting any kind of discrimination, because Latvia has not adopted an anti-discrimination law yet.

Latvijas Avize reports on a seminar of minority schools directors, during which consequences of the implementation of the minority education reform were discussed. The newspaper refers to an opinion poll among directors of Riga, Liepaja, Ventspils, Rezekne and Daugavpils minority schools, which shows that minority students have already accepted the situation that they should learn mainly in Latvian language. At the same time, minority school directors pointed to a necessity to develop education materials on geography, history, chemistry and biology, as well as dictionaries in several subjects in order to facilitate studying of these subjects in Latvian.

Vesti Segodnya, referring to an undisclosed information source, informs that Russian delegation is planning to raise an issue of mass non-citizenship in Latvia during the summit of the Council of Europe, which will take place in Warsaw.

Chas prints an interview about social integration with a leader of the national-radical youth organisation ‘Visu – Latvijai! (All for Latvia) Raivis Dzintars. Dzintars believes that naturalisation process should be suspended immediately, and that a principle of proportionality should be observed in the future, when an annual number of naturalised persons depend on a number of ethnic Latvians born during that year. Dzintars also advocates for a repatriation programme for non-citizens.