• Parents of a Russian language school in Aizkraukle protected school against eviction from its historical building
• Leader of the Anti-Fascist Committee Josifs Korens criticizes a new musical about Herberts Cukurs
• Saeima’s Speaker Solvita Aboltina: now it is not a proper time to organise any protest actions in Latvia

Vesti Segodnya reports that due to effort and activities of parents of students of a Russian language secondary school in Aizkraukle, the local council declined its plans on optimisation of local schools. Initially, the local council planned to merge the Russian language secondary school with Latvian language gymnasium in one building due to low number of students. But the building of the Russian language school would be given to a Latvian language primary school. Parents of the Russian students stood against such plans fearing those endanger further fate of the Russian language school. As a result, head of the Aizkraukle’s council stated that he does not want any conflicts in the town and took a decision that the Russian language schools remains in its historical building.

Leader of the Anti-Fascist Committee Josifs Korens criticizes a new musical about Herberts Cukurs staging by Latvian producers. Herberts Cukurs is know as a prominent Latvian pilot and one of the members of the SS unit called “Arajs Kommando”. H. Cukurs was involved in murders of Latvian Jews during the Holocaust but never stood trial. In 1965 he was killed by Mossad agents. Mr Korens believes that musical about H. Cukurs is another attempt to rehabilitate one of the Nazi criminals as the announcement about the musical says no word about his Nazi past but speaks about H. Cukurs as only about a great pilot. Vesti Segodnya

According to the Saeima’s Speaker Solvita Aboltina, now it is not a proper time to organise any protest actions in Latvia in the light of events in Ukraine. Mainly it was addressed to the protest action planned by Latvian pensioners who want to protest against the harsh economic and social situation and the protest action planned for 6 March by the Congress of Non-citizens against the transition of education in minority schools into Latvian language. As a response to such statement, representative of the Congress Elizabete Krivcova stated that the protest action will be conducted anyway. She also stressed that the source of instability in the Baltic states are not the local ethnic Russian residents but discriminatory policy towards them.

• Headquarters for the Defence of Russian Language Schools resumes its activities; first protest action on 6 March
• Reaction to situation in Ukraine: Latvian politicians call to stop retranslation of Russian TV channels in Latvia and close national minority schools

The Headquarters for the Defence of Russian Language Schools announced that it resumes its activities and is planning to conduct together with the Congress of Non-citizens first protest action against transition of education in national minority schools into Latvian language on 6 March. The protest is planned near the Ministry of Education which is called by the organisers “ministry of darkness.” According to a representative of the Headquarters Jakovs Pliners, the planned schools reform might provoke in Latvia the same split in the society as in Ukraine. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

As a reaction to the situation in Ukraine, several Latvian politicians came with a call to limit or stop retranslation of Russia’s TV channels in Latvia. Thus, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Einars Cilinskis (nationalists’ union) called the Electronic Mass Media Council (EMMC) to stop retranslation of Russian channels immediately. Head of the nationalists’ union’s faction in the Riga City Council Aleksandrs Kirsteins also called to stop “Kremlin’s” TV channels broadcasts, close education in national minority languages, and demolish all “commemorative signs of occupants.” Head of the Saeima’s Human Rights and Social Affairs Committee Inara Murniece called to amend the legal acts so it would be possible to ban retranslation of “hostile” channels. Diena, Vesti Segodnya

 

• Vesti Segodnya prints opinion of kindergarten teachers about transition of education into Latvian language
• MP Vineta Porina sent a letter to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic clarifying the aim of the draft amendments to the Criminal Law stipulating punishment for public denial of aggression
• Case about online hate speech against Jews forwarded to the court
• Newspapers warn about possible repeated disorders during events on 16 March in Riga

Vesti Segodnya prints opinion of kindergarten teachers about the statement of the Minister of Education Ina Druviete about the common education system in Latvian language starting with kindergartens. Head of one of the Riga Russian language kindergartens supports the Ministry’s proposal to increase hours of Latvian language learning in kindergartens as the present 15 minutes per day funded by the state is not enough. Head of the kindergarten highlights that already now teachers try to teach children more Latvian language than it is foreseen and to form positive attitude towards the language. Heads of different kindergartens also believe that if the Ministry will transfer kindergartens into Latvian language it will face big difficulties to find so many teachers as wages are very small.

Vesti Segodnya reports that the MP Vineta Porina (nationalists’ union) sent a letter to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic clarifying the aim of the draft amendments to the Criminal Law stipulating punishment for public denial, justification, glorification of USSR and Nazi German aggression against Latvia. On 14 February 2014, Mrs Mijatovic expressed concern about proposed amendments saying that any legislative provisions criminalizing public expression and speech should be restricted to instances of intentional and dangerous incitement to violence only, in line with the international media freedom standards and principles. The Latvian MP Porina in the letter criticizes such statements asserting that such amendments go in line with the European directive against racism and xenophobia.

The Prosecutor’s Office of the Riga Court Region forwarded a case about online hate speech against Jews to the court. The accused man published hateful statements against Jewish people commenting an article about political processes in Israel. The Prosecutor asked for one year of suspended imprisonment. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize and Diena warn about possible repeated disorders during events on 16 March in Riga (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires). As reported, several organisations submitted applications to hold events on 16 March in the centre of Riga including protest against the procession of legionnaires. Last year, the 16 March events were disturbed by loud protest against legionnaires’ procession and minor clashes between opposite parties involving also the MPs’ members of the nationalists’ union.

 

• Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska
• Saeima’s Legal Committee changed and approved the draft amendments stipulating punishment for denial of occupation

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska. Regarding the possible transition of education in ethnic minority schools into Latvian language Ms Kamenska says that there should be not only political but also logical justification for such reform. Ms Kamenska highlights that presently there are no single authoritative independent researches which would show that situation with bilingual education is so poor that as a result graduates of ethnic minority schools are uncompetitive. On the contrary, there are studies showing that Latvian language proficiency of ethnic minority students have sufficiently increased during the past 10 years. Ms Kamenska also believes that such reforms should be analysed with a view on human rights taking into account one of the basic principles - effective participation of ethnic minorities in elaboration of issues directly affecting them.  Ms Kamenska believes that the Ombudsman by his position regarding  bilingual education lost the trust of ethnic minorities. Anhelita Kamenska also criticizes too strict regulations on usage of state and foreign languages and believes that the language is not the matter of politics but it is just a communication tool. Ms Kamenska also believes that political rhetoric in Latvia do not reflect real mood of the society and the average Latvian resident is much more moderate than average politician. According to Ms Kamenska, Latvian non-citizens should be granted voting rights in local elections as they have close ties with the state, but at the same time, it is wrong to maintain the illusions that Latvian citizenship will be granted to non-citizens automatically.

Despite the fact that last week the governing coalition decided to suspend the draft amendments to the Criminal Law stipulating punishment for public denial of occupation, yesterday, the Saeima’s Legal Committee made some changes in the text and approved the draft amendments. The first version stipulated punishment for public denial of USSR and Nazi German aggression against Latvia, for justification, glorification or for malicious, rude or offensive attempt to question the fact of aggression. The phrase “malicious, rude or offensive attempt” of the old draft version is replaced by “gross trivialization” of aggression in the new draft version. As reported, such draft amendments were criticized by the Security Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Vesti Segodnya

• Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma: the government will not amend the Education Law

The Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma in an interview with Telegraf commenting the plans of the governing coalition to transfer education in ethnic minority schools into Latvian language says that the present government will not amend the Education Law. According to the Prime Minister, the effective law stipulates more extensive learning of Latvian language in schools but only unforced learning. At the same time, Mrs Straujuma says that gradual increase of Latvian language proportion is possible but there should remain subjects taught in native language.