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.

• Unity wants to prevent referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens
• LVL 740,000 are to be allocated to the activities on consolidation of the society in 2013
• Representative of the Belorussians’ Community in Latvia: legal equality of citizens should lay in the foundation of the consolidated society
• Latvijas Avize reports about the conference of Russian compatriots in Riga
• Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks is insulted by 9 May celebration in Riga

The political party Unity considers that the draft amendments to Citizenship Law on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens are anti-constitutional and should not be allowed to pass to the referendum. According to a representative of the Unity, the draft amendments endanger the principle of continuity of Latvian state and contradict the Constitution of Latvia. As reported, the movement “For Equal Rights” collected required number of signatures for initiation of state funded collection of signatures in support of referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens. Chas

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Ministry of Finance is planning to allocate LVL 740,000 (about EUR 1,000,000) to the activities on consolidation of the society in 2013 and LVL 769,000 (about EUR 1,105,000) in 2014 for the same purpose.

Representative of the Belorussians’ Community in Latvia, MP Jelena Jelizarova believes that legal equality of citizens should lay in the foundation of the consolidated society in Latvia. However, the state policy became oriented on establishment of national state instead of multicultural society and decreased support to ethnic cultural NGOs. Thus, such NGOs in future might be forced to stop their activities. Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize reports about the conference of Russian compatriots named “Equal rights - the main precondition for preservation of Russian world in Latvia” held in Riga. Participants of the conference mainly discussed non-citizenship in Latvia and collection of signatures for support of the referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens. Latvijas Avize criticizes the statements made by conference’s participants and claims these statements are false and insulting to Latvian state.

The Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks in an interview with Neatkariga states that celebration of 9 May (or so-called Victory day) in Riga insults also him personally. Mr Pabriks believes that the majority of people who come to the celebration do not come with an aim to commemorate victims of the WWII but in order to maintain Latvia in the geopolitical field which stopped to exist in the beginning of 90’s. The Minister would be happy if the same people would come to the celebrations of the Latvian Independence Day on 11 November with the same enthusiasm.