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.

• European Court of Human Rights partly satisfies a claim of the Sisojev family against Latvia
• An interview with the former Prime Minister Indulis Emsis
• An article about the conference ‘Russian-speakers in the EU: Formation of the Civil Society

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has partly satisfied a claim of the Sisojev family against Latvia. The applicants claimed that the state had violated Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing to grant them permanent residents’ status to them. Although the court recognised that sometimes the state has a right to interfere into the persons’ private and family life making decisions in the context of immigration, it was also stressed that the personal, social and economic ties of the family should be considered. Hence the ECHR recognised that the state institutions violated Article 8 of the Convention. The state was also obligated to pay a compensation of EUR 15,000 to the applicants. The former military of the Soviet army Arkadijs Sisojevs and his family arrived in Latvia in 1960ies and their two daughters were born in Latvia. After the re-established of Latvia’s independence, members of the Sisojevs’ family became stateless person and received the residence permit in Latvia. In 1995 the members of the Sisojev family were excluded form the permanent resistents’ register when it became known that the complainants, who were using passports of the former USSR, had registered their residence also in Russia. In 1996 Arkadijs Sisojevs and his daughter received citizenship of Russia.

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has partly satisfied a claim of the Sisojev family against Latvia. The applicants claimed that the state had violated Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing to grant them permanent residents status to them. Although the court recognised that sometimes the state has a right to interfere into the persons private and family life making decisions in the context of immigration, it was also stressed that the personal, social and economic ties of the family should be considered. Hence the ECHR recognised that the state institutions violated Article 8 of the Convention. The state was also obligated to pay a compensation of EUR15,000 to the applicants. The former military of the Soviet army Arkadijs Sisojevs and his family arrived in Latvia in 1960ies and their two daughters were born in Latvia. After the re-established of Latvias independence, members of the Sisojevs family became stateless person and received the residence permit in Latvia. In 1995 the members of the Sisojev family were excluded form the permanent resistents register when it became known that the complainants, who were using passports of the former USSR, had registered their residence also in Russia. In 1996 Arkadijs Sisojevs and his daughter received citizenship of Russia. Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Chas features an interview with the former Prime Minister Indulis Emsis about the implementation of the minority education reform and the causes of the tension in society. The former prime minister believes that the discussion about the deterioration of the quality of education due to the implementation of the minority education reform is not topical as the results of the centralised exams show that the knowledge of the students learning at Russian-language schools are a little bit better than those of students learning in Latvian-language schools. Emsis also believes that the tension in society is caused by the desire of certain politicians to gather more votes using radical ideas.

Chas informs about the conference ‘Russian-speakers in the EU: Formation of the Civil Society taking place in Brussels today. It is planned to establish also a Federation of the EU Russian Parties during this conference.