• State Language Service of Riga is merged with the Construction Department
• Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis voiced doubts that the demolition of the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders would promote consolidation of the society

The Riga City Council decided to merge the State Language Service of Riga with the Construction Department. Such decision was made because 80% of the State Language Service work is connected with control over posters, advertisements etc. The oppositional parties criticize such decision arguing that it diminishes the importance of the state language. Previously the State Language Service could also submit its proposals to committee and institutions on strengthening of the state language, but such issues are not included in the Service’s functions anymore. Vesti Segodnya

Commenting the initiative on demolition of the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis voiced doubts that this initiative would promote consolidation of the society. The newspaper Vesti Segodnya, in its turn, appeals to its readers to contact the newspaper and to tell what would they personally react if the state authorities would decide to demolish the Monument. As reported, the social initiative on demolition of the Monument collected 10,000 signatures through the social initiatives portal manabalss.lv required to forward this initiative for the revision to the Saeima. Vesti Segodnya

• State Language Centre repeatedly forbade the National Health Service to distribute invitations for cancer screening in Russian language
• Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with the head of the President’s Commission on State Language Andrejs Vejsbergs
• Latvijas Avize reports about the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law which grants the right to interpreter free of charge to persons entitled to defence, victim and his/her representative
• Minister of Justice Janis Bordans supports removal of the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders
• MP Andrejs Elksnins: Egils Levits’ Preamble to the Constitution is a continuation of the integration program elaborated by Sarmite Elerte

Vesti Segodnya reports that the State Language Centre repeatedly forbade the National Health Service to distribute 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, taking into account ethnic composition of the population and specificity of the medical terminology, prepared the invitations in Latvian and Russian languages, however, after the conclusion of the SLC distributed invitations in Latvian only. The SLC argued that the state institutions should provide information in the state language only. The MP Boriss Cilevics in an interview with the newspaper criticizes such position of the SLC and argues that this is wrong, because the legal acts allow provision of important information for population in foreign language regarding life and health of individuals. According to the calculation of the lecturer of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga Boriss Ginzburgs, the decision of the SLC every year kills about 5-6 women who might not understand the invitation for screening in Latvian language and, therefore, do not respond to it.

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with the head of the President’s Commission on State Language Andrejs Vejsbergs. Mr Vejsbergs believes that there are no linguistic threats for Latvian language at present, but there are demographic threats as the number of ethnic Latvian speakers is relatively small. Mr Vejsbergs also believes that Russian and Latvian languages do not interfere with each other linguistically, but Russian language always has political connotations. The other factor which hampers the state language is psychological problem of ethnic Latvians as, despite the fact that they are ethnic majority in Latvia, regarding the language situation they feel as minorities due to the past events – Soviet occupation and repressions. Mr Vejsbergs also believes that residents who enter formal communication with the state which has only one state language have to consider with this state’s rules. 

Latvijas Avize reports about the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law which grants the right to interpreter free of charge to persons entitled to defence, victim and his/her representative if they do not know the state (Latvian) language. The new amendments will also include the right to interpreter in communication with the defence counsel. As of 1 January 2014, 30 interpreter positions will be made available in prisons. According to Ilona Spure, the Director of the Latvian Prison Administration, of 5,325 prisoners more than half of prisoners in Latvia are Russian speakers, which include both Latvian citizens and non-citizens. There is also a small number of foreign citizens mostly from the CIS countries. The amendments were adopted to transpose the EU Directive on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.

 Commenting the social initiative to demolish the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders, the Minister of Justice Janis Bordans stated that the Monument in the future should look totally different and be located elsewhere because it has no place near the recently built Latvian National library. Replying to a journalists’ question whether this issue on demolition of the Monument splits the society, the Minister said that we should start to speak about historical issues openly. Vesti Segodnya interviewed the MPs about the initiative and majority of interviewees do not support the demolition of the Monument and consider that the Parliament will not discuss this initiative as such issue is not in its competence. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

The MP Andrejs Elksnins (Concord Centre) interviewed by Neatkariga criticizes the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia elaborated by the head of the President’s Commission on Constitutional Rights Egils Levits and believes that this Preamble is a continuation of the integration program elaborated by the ex-Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte. Mr Elksnins believes that these two documents put ethnic Latvians hierarchically superior other ethnic non-Latvian residents. Mr Elksnins believes that the draft Preamble splits the society and endangers its sustainable development. Latvijas Avize, in its turn, reports that the draft Preamble will be discussed on 25 October at a conference at the University of Latvia.

• Vesti Segodnya reports about a survey of the views of ethnic Latvians and non-Latvians on Latvia’s development
• 10,000 signatures are collected for support of demolition of the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders
• MP Dzintars Rasnacs: aim of the Preamble to the Constitution is to unite the Latvian nation

According to a public survey “Latvian barometer DNB”, ethnic Latvians would like to see Latvia as prosperous and wealthy, green and ecologically clean state. Ethnic non-Latvians, in their turn, want to see social equality, sufficient support to poor and socially insecure people in Latvia. Ethnic Latvians more frequently said they want to Latvia to have strong ethnic Latvian identity. For ethnic non-Latvians it is more important that Latvia is multicultural state. Vesti Segodnya

10,000 signatures are collected for support of demolition of the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders. The signatures are collected through the social initiatives internet platform manabalss.lv Thus, this initiative now might be forwarded for revision to the Saeima. Vesti Segodnya notes that such provocative initiative most likely will not go further, because the installation and demolition of monuments is managed not by the Saeima but by the municipality and also this Monument is protected by an agreement between Latvia and Russia about protection of monument and war burials. The Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs also criticized such initiative arguing that it will provoke ethnic tensions in the society. 

The MP Dzintars Rasnacs (the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM) in an interview with Latvijas Avize states that the aim of the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia is to unite the Latvian nation, to unite the state nation (ethnic Latvians) and ethnic minorities who understand that both groups constitute Latvian nation, body of citizens. According to Mr Rasnacs, those who criticize the draft Preamble are radically minded persons resisting other values.

• Discussion “Preschools education in Latvian language only. Needless, too early or the last moment?” held in Riga
• Latvian Human Rights Committee presented “The List of Differences in Rights of Citizens and Non-citizens”

Latvijas Avize reports about a discussion “Preschools education in Latvian language only. Needless, too early or the last moment?” organised by internet portal “politika.lv” The Minister of Education and Science Vjaceslavs Dombrovskis, representative of the nationalists’ union, head of the Saeima’s Education committee Ina Druviete, and other experts took part in the discussion. Participants of the discussion negotiated about the proposal of the nationalists’ union “All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM” to transfer education in all state funded kindergartens into Latvian language only.  The majority of the participants criticized such proposal but stressed that it is important to increase the number of hours of Latvian language learning. The Minister Dombrovskis did not support the proposal referring to scientific point of view that until the age of 12 it is better for children to study in their native language. The Minister also stated that transition of education into Latvian language most likely would increase ethnic tensions in the society. Researcher of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Sigita Zankovska-Odiņa stated that the language reform of minority secondary schools in 2004 radicalised the society. Mrs Zankovska-Odina also stressed that the closure of Russian language kindergartens would be a violation of the Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities.

Vesti Segodnya reports about presentation of a second research by the Latvian Human Rights Committee “The List of Differences in Rights of Citizens and Non-citizens” presented on 15 October in Riga. According of a representative of the Committee Natalja Jolkina, the list of differences is transforming constantly – some differences get cancelled, some expire, but instead of the old ones are added new ones. During last three years four differences got cancelled, while, five new got added. In total since 1991, when part of Latvian residents were granted status of non-citizens, 60 differences got cancelled, however, 80 differences still exist today.

• Ex-MP, lawyer Juris Sokolovskis: Egils Levits with his ideas of the Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia is like an inventor of atomic bomb
• Latvijas Avize reports about a news story on a Swedish Radio telling about the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia
• Concord Centre remains the most popular political party in Latvia

 

Vesti Segodnya publishes opinion of ex-MP, lawyer Juris Sokolovskis regarding the ideas for the draft Preamble to the Constitution proposed by the Head of the President’s Commission on Constitutional Law Egils Levits. According to Mr Sokolovskis, Mr Levits ignores that his elaborated Preamble will provoke negative reaction regarding ethnic minorities in Latvia arguing that there is an article in the Constitution about protection of ethnic minorities and international conventions for protection of human rights. Mr Soklovskis believes that such Mr Levits’ approach reminds of an inventor of atomic bomb – he is just interested in its invention but after it is dropped on people he will say – it wasn’t me but politicians. 

 

Latvijas Avize reports about a news story on a Swedish Radio telling about the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia. According to the newspaper, the Swedish radio asked for the opinion of a PhD student of theUniversity ofLatvia Olga Procevska who said that the ideas of the Preamble look like ideas of the era before the Holocaust as it defines that the state belongs to a certain ethnic group. The other interviewed person – a Latvian lawyer Lauris Liepa explained thatLatvia is the only place in the world where ethnic Latvians can speak their language, promote culture and do what other nation in the world do. A Latvian journalist living in Sweden Sandra Veinberga criticizes such news story considering that it is biased and wrongly evaluates the Preamble and calls Latvian Embassy inSweden to voice its critics about it explaining situation inLatvia. 

 

The Concord Centre remains the most popular political party in Latvia – according to a public opinion survey conducted by Latvijas Fakti, it is supported by 24,3% of residents. The Unity is supported by 14,4%, the Union of Greens and Farmers by 9,4%, the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM by 6,5%. The Reforms Party is supported only by 1,8% of respondents. Vesti Segodnya