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.

• Public opinion survey: 58% of Latvian residents are against Russia’s military intervention to Ukraine, 34% - see basis for such actions
• Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs: it is important to prevent that situation similar to Ukrainian could ever be replicated in Latvia
• Government forbade the Ministers to take part in the procession commemorating Latvian legionnaires on 16 March
• Latvijas Avize reports about the UNO Human Rights Committee’s session hold in Geneva
• Vesti Segodnya interviews the MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanok
• Proposal stipulating the right not to know Russian language published on the portal of public initiatives

According to a public opinion survey conducted by a company “GfK”, 34% of respondents said that they see basis for Russia’s military intervention to Ukraine. 58% of respondents said that they are against such Russia’s actions. Among ethnic Latvian respondents, 6% fully supported military intervention, 11% supported partly, 77% had negative attitude towards it. Among ethnic non-Latvian respondents, 34% fully supported Russia’s intervention, 32% partly supported, 24% did not see any basis for it. In total, 1,051 respondents took part in the survey in the age of 18 to 65. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

Neatkariga prints an interview with the Mayor of Riga, leader of the Concord Centre Nils Usakovs. Mr Usakovs says that it is understandable why the majority of ethnic Latvians are concerned regarding the current events in Ukraine as Latvia in the past also experienced foreign military interventions. Mr Usakovs believes that ethnic Russian residents of Latvia should calm  ethnic Latvian friends, neighbours, colleagues and to say them that despite we might have different opinion about various issues, but we have one country – Latvia – and nobody wants Ukrainian events to be replicated here. Mr Usakovs also believes that today, the common sense about Latvian state is much more important than everyday itches and it is important to prevent that similar situation could ever be replicated in Latvia.

The government forbade the Ministers to take part in the procession commemorating Latvian legionnaires on 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires) in the centre of Riga. The Minister of Interior Rihards Kozlovskis said that non-participation in the 16 March procession is a consequent government’s position for the past 18 years. According to the Minister, this year, foreign policy situation is especially sensitive and the risk of confrontations is much higher. Such government’s decision concerns only the procession in the centre of Riga and government’s representatives can take part in the commemorative events in Lestene common graves (the place of burial of Latvian legionnaires.) Earlier, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Einars Cilinskis representing nationalists’ union stated that he will take part in the procession as he has done it in all previous years. After yesterday’s government’s session Mr Cilinskis refused to provide any comments and promised to conduct a press conference on Friday, 14 March. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Neatkariga, Diena

Latvijas Avize reports about the UNO Human Rights Committee’s session hold in Geneva. The newspaper criticizes the fact that from the part of Latvian NGOs, Latvia was represented by the Latvian Human Rights Committee and the Congress of Non-citizens who, according to the newspaper, provide misleading information about Latvia and rights ethnic minorities have in Latvia. According to the Latvian Ambassador to the UNO Raimonds Jansons, these organisations are very active at the international level and well informed about the opportunities to express their opinion, while, other Latvian organisations are not quite observant about such opportunities. The Latvian official delegation participating in the UNO session represented by 14 officials, including the Ombudsman Juris Janons who provided his opinion about human rights situation in Latvia.

Vesti Segodnya interviews the MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka. According to Mrs Zdanoka her party For Human Rights in United Latvia decided to change its name to “Russian Union in Latvia” thus clearly showing that it protects interests of Latvian Russian speaking residents. The main task of the Union now is to protect Russian language education in Latvia. 

Vesti Segodnya reports about collection of signatures on the portal of public initiatives manabals.lv under a proposal stipulating the right not to know the Russian language. The authors of the initiative want to forbid the employers to require foreign language and in particular Russian language proficiency from employees arguing that thus young people very often are being discriminated.