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.

• Security Police considers that an attack on two young Roma girls is not a racial hate crime
• Latvijas Avize reports that the Supreme Court has received repeated linguistic expertise in a case of ex-deputy of the Riga City Council Aleksandrs Gilmans
• Representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Russian language should have an official status in Latvia

According to a representative of the Security Police, materials of the State Police do not provide evidence that an attack on two young Roma girls is a racial hate crime. Therefore, the case is forwarded back to the State Police which has initiated criminal proceedings on hooliganism. As reported two 13-year-old girls were attacked allegedly by a group of skinheads in Riga in October. After the accident girls were placed in a hospital. The Ombudsman’s Office has initiated evaluation of policemen’s actions who right after the accident did not detain the persons alleged of attack on the girls.

According to a representative of the Security Police, materials of the State Police do not provide evidence that an attack on two young Roma girls is a racial hate crime. Therefore, the case is forwarded back to the State Police which has initiated criminal proceedings on hooliganism. As reported two 13-year-old girls were attacked allegedly by a group of skinheads in Riga in October. After the accident girls were placed in a hospital. The Ombudsmans Office has initiated evaluation of policemens actions who right after the accident did not detain the persons alleged of attack on the girls. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize reports that the Supreme Court has received repeated linguistic expertise made by the Latvian Association of Independent Experts in a case of ex-deputy of the Riga City Council Aleksandrs Gilmans. As reported, Aleksandrs Gilmans is charged for anti-governmental statements made on the internet forum of the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian Schools homepage. This is already a third expertise in Gilmans case because two previous expertises were appealed against by the prosecutor and by the Aleksandrs Gilmans lawyer.

Yesterday, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has stated that Russia will try to achieve a change of status of Russian language in Latvia, so that it becomes second official state language and not a foreign one as it is presently.

Yesterday, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has stated that Russia will try to achieve a change of status of Russian language in Latvia, so that it becomes second official state language and not a foreign one as it is presently. NRA