• Parliament of Unrepresented appealed to the President of Ukraine asking to cancel visa requirement to Ukraine for Latvian non-citizens
• Jakovs Pliners warns state officials about new protests against Latvianisation of minority schools

The Parliament of Unrepresented appealed to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich asking to cancel visa requirement to Ukraine for Latvian non-citizens. According to representatives of the Parliament, large number of Latvian non-citizens has kinship and friendship ties with Ukraine and it would be advisable to allow them travel to Ukraine without visas equally with Latvian citizens. Vesti Segodnya

Ex-MP, presently one of the leaders of a movement “For Progress in Latvia” Jakovs Pliners appealed with on open letter to the President of Latvia, the Prime Minister, and the Saeima’s Speaker regarding proposals of nationalists to transfer education in all state funded preschools and schools into Latvian language only. According to Mr Pliners, such proposals contradict will of ethnic minorities and raise interethnic tensions in the society. Mr Pliners also warned the state authorities that if such proposals are granted official support people will be raised for large protests like those arranged in 2004-2005 against language reform in Russian speaking schools. Vesti Segodnya

• Newspapers continue to report on different reactions of the society members on the ban to distribute invitations for cancer screening in Russian language

Latvijas Avize reports that the head of the State Language Centre (SLC) Maris Baltins appealed to the Security Police with a claim against member of a political party “For Native Language” Illarions Girs for threats to a state official. Head of SLC is outraged by Illarions Girs’ post on Facebook in which, commenting the fact that the SLC banned the National Health Service from distributing invitations for cancer screening in Russian language, Mr Girs described possible consequences of such restriction such as death of someone’s mother from cancer whose son later would want to revenge the SLC and killed the head of language control department Antons Kursitis. According to the newspaper such post is dangerous because it is modelling certain behaviour of people and could urge for violence. As earlier reported, the decision of the SLC to restrict distribution of invitation for cancer screening raised many critics towards the SLC as its actions and interpretation of legal acts are too exaggerated. Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska stressed the SLC wrongly interprets the State Language Law and that the anti-cancer campaign is aimed at checking people’s health, not their state (Latvian) language proficiency. Also some MPs were critical about such restriction but a lecturer of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga Boriss Ginzburgs, in his turn, calculated that by such restriction the SLC kills about 5-6 women who might not understand the invitation for screening in Latvian language and, therefore, do not respond to it every year. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

• Vesti Segodnya reports about a practice of one of the Riga kindergartens on children integration
• Author of the Preamble Egils Levits: notion of the state nation defines the cultural identity of Latvian national state
• Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska: anti-cancer campaign is aimed at checking people’s health, not their language proficiency

Vesti Segodnya reports about a practice of one of the Riga kindergartens on children integration. The educators of the kindergarten work with children using folklore pedagogy to teach them love towards Latvian and Russian culture and traditions. Thus, children celebrate Latvian and Russian traditional celebration days and learn traditions of both nations. The kindergarten also implemented a project “Diversity of folk celebrations and traditions – wealth of Latvia” funded by the Riga City Council’s Education, Culture and Sports Department in which it shared with their experience with other kindergartens. Vesti Segodnya (28.10)

Newspapers report about the conference about the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia. Responding to critics about the introduction of a notion of a “state nation” in the Preamble, the author of the Preamble Egils Levits explained that the state nation is not political but nationally cultural notion defining the cultural identity of Latvian national state. According to Mr Levits, in the context of Latvia’s constitutional rights, identity of ethnic Latvian nation is defined by three aspects: state language is Latvian, there is a duty to strengthen Latvian language and culture, and to care about ethnic minorities. Mr Levits statedthat belonging to a state nation is defined not by origin but by self identification of a person disregard his/her ethnic belonging. Mr Levits also stated that belonging to a state nation does not have any legal effects and does not provide any privileges. Diena, Vesti Segodnya (28.10)

The director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska strongly criticises the attempts of the State Language Centre (SLC) to restrict public dissemination of printed information by state institutions in the Russian language.  She draws attention to the recent ban by the SLC to distribute invitations in Russian prepared by the Ministry of Health for cancer prevention campaign aimed at encouraging women to undergo preventive breast and cervical cancer checks. Anhelita Kamenska highlights the cases when the SLC tried to restrict the public dissemination of printed information in Russian (brochures on public safety, crime victim satisfaction survey questionnaires by State Police, leaflet by Central Statistical Board for population census, etc.) by wrongly interpreting the State Language Law. She reminds that the anti-cancer campaign is aimed at checking people’s health, not their state (Latvian) language proficiency. Weekly magazine Ir

• Diena prints opinions of state officials and experts about the State Language Centre’s decision to forbid the National Health Service to disseminate invitations to women for screening
• President of Latvia Andris Berzins harshly criticizes the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM
• Vesti Segodnya: initiative on demolition of the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders is a call for civil war

Diena prints opinions of state officials and experts about the State Language Centre’s (SLC) decision to forbid the National Health Service to disseminate invitations to women for screening for cervical cancer and breast cancer and to men over 50 years old for bowel cancer in Russian language.  The National Health Service believes that the prohibition to distribute such information in Russian language is one of the reasons of low response for such invitation. However, according to a representative of the SLC Antons Kursitis, 23 years passed since the adoption of the State Language Law and all persons who wanted to learn Latvian language did it. Mr Kursitis believes that it is discriminatory towards other ethnic minorities to distribute the invitations in Russian language only. The expert on public health Viktors Jaksons, in his turn, stressed that the reality is that not all the residents are proficient in Latvian language and it should be taken into account as the aim is to reach as wider public as possible otherwise it could cost the state a lot. The Minister of Health Ingrida Circene agrees with the expert’s opinion stressing that the wider public should be reached regardless of residents’ ethnic belonging, place of residence, or level of education. The MP Aija Barca says that restriction to disseminate information about health care in other languages is not the best way how to protect the state language. The head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee Ainars Latkovskis believes that in such cases exceptions from the literally norms of the State Language Law could be made.

The President of Latvia Andris Berzins harshly criticizes the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM for the proposal to limit the granting of residence permits to foreign investors and for support of demolition of the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders. The President said that no one thinks about the topical problems of the country and about the fact that its residents emigrate, - in the meantime the politicians are trying to restrict the granting of residents permits. The President highlighted that the current system helps the state to receive generous financial resources. He agrees that the system of granting residence permits is not perfect and it should be improved; however, the proposed changes are improper. The President believes the statements of the Minister of Justice Janis Bordans about removal of the Monument are an example of populist statements and direct use of administrative resource in the pre-election campaign. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya prints opinions of its readers on what would they do if the Latvian authorities would decide to demolish the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders. The majority of persons said that if such situation is permitted they are ready to come to the Monument and to defend it physically. The people believe that such initiative is a call for civil war and incitement of ethnic hatred in the society.

• Parents voice their concerns about the planned merger of Russian minority schools in Riga 

 

Education Department of Riga City Council is planning to merge two Russian minority schools: "Herder secondary school" could be moved to the building of "Russian secondary school" and a single "Herder secondary" would remain as a result. "Herder secondary" is Russian minority school with enhanced learning of German language situated in prestigious city centre and according to the newspaper, the school had resisted previous suggestions to move the school elsewhere; the parents like the quality of education, the feeling of small school as well as the fact that the school is a walking distance from their homes. "Russian secondary" is a standard Soviet-era school built in the historical workers' outskirts of inner city and currently the area has questionable reputation. Representative of Riga Education Department Imants Mednis declined to give any comments. 357 pupils study in "Herder secondary" (400 pupils capacity), 344 pupils in "Russian secondary" (750 pupils capacity). According to the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs (Concord Centre), Riga City Council will increase police presence in the area around "Russian secondary" and is planning to invest 2,5 million Lats (3,557 million Euros) in renovation of its building and the surrounding area, including park. The newspaper reminds that few years ago several Russian schools have already been merged. Vesti Segodnya