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.

Press Review

Press Review

Four Nordic countries will receive refugees currently staying at the Olaine camp in Latvia. The decision was made at the meeting of Immigration Ministers of the Nordic Countries. According to the UNHCR, Sweden will accept 52 refugees, Denmark - 25, Finland - 20, and Norway - 11. Most of the refugees are Iraqis and Afghans. The meeting stressed that the decision had been taken as an extraordinary step and expressed hope that Latvia would adopt laws on refugees to be observed in compliance with the 1951 UN Convention. According to

Four Nordic countries will receive refugees currently staying at the Olaine camp in Latvia. The decision was made at the meeting of Immigration Ministers of the Nordic Countries. According to the UNHCR, Sweden will accept 52 refugees, Denmark - 25, Finland - 20, and Norway - 11. Most of the refugees are Iraqis and Afghans. The meeting stressed that the decision had been taken as an extraordinary step and expressed hope that Latvia would adopt laws on refugees to be observed in compliance with the 1951 UN Convention. According to "DIENA", ten illegal immigrants will still stay at the Olaine camp. Diena

Yesterday the

Yesterday the Latvian Law Institute presented a selection of the most important Latvian laws. All the laws are published both in Latvian and in English. Minister of Justice Rasnacs did not agree to changes that occurred after signing the agreement on the publication of the laws. Initially, the Ministry of Justice signed the agreement with the US company Interlaw, its obligations later being passed to the Latvian Law Institute. The Minister of Justice insists on dismissing Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Mrs. Slaidina for exceeding powers. The Parliamentary Secretary can be relieved of her duties only upon the Prime-Minister's approval. Mr. Rasnacs did not attend the official presentation of the book yesterday. Neatkariga

Boris Tsilevich analyzed the problem of education for minorities from the point of view of the documents worked out by the Foundation for Inter-Ethnic Relations. The Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in the Hague in 1993 to assist the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. A group of experts worked out "The Hague Recommendations on the Rights of National Minorities for Education". The Recommendations are a generalization of norms pertaining to minorities' rights for education and are based on international legal acts. The Recommendations deal with several aspects of education for minorities in both state-financed and private schools. The Foundation organized a seminar on the Recommendations in Vienna in November this year. The discussion was attended by Ministers of Education of the OSCE countries and by human rights activists. It did not focus on any particular country and was dedicated to analyzing the entire problem. B.Tsilevich believes a report by Deputy-Director of Council of Europe Education Department M.Stobart to deserve special attention. Mr. Stobart suggested that an "intercultural" approach to education should be applied not only to minorities but to all students. A majority should study a language, history and culture of a minority. Such an approach would maintain tolerance among ethnic groups. Stobart believes that "multiple identity" should prevail in the modern world, that is, retaining native languages and cultural peculiarities will contribute to loyalty of national minorities to the state. Such a policy is an opposite to assimilation, criticized by Stobart. The idea is shared by Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner J.Packer who also touched upon the problem of balance between a native language and a state language in the course of studies.

Boris Tsilevich analyzed the problem of education for minorities from the point of view of the documents worked out by the Foundation for Inter-Ethnic Relations. The Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in the Hague in 1993 to assist the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities. A group of experts worked out "The Hague Recommendations on the Rights of National Minorities for Education". The Recommendations are a generalization of norms pertaining to minorities' rights for education and are based on international legal acts. The Recommendations deal with several aspects of education for minorities in both state-financed and private schools. The Foundation organized a seminar on the Recommendations in Vienna in November this year. The discussion was attended by Ministers of Education of the OSCE countries and by human rights activists. It did not focus on any particular country and was dedicated to analyzing the entire problem. B.Tsilevich believes a report by Deputy-Director of Council of Europe Education Department M.Stobart to deserve special attention. Mr. Stobart suggested that an "intercultural" approach to education should be applied not only to minorities but to all students. A majority should study a language, history and culture of a minority. Such an approach would maintain tolerance among ethnic groups. Stobart believes that "multiple identity" should prevail in the modern world, that is, retaining native languages and cultural peculiarities will contribute to loyalty of national minorities to the state. Such a policy is an opposite to assimilation, criticized by Stobart. The idea is shared by Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner J.Packer who also touched upon the problem of balance between a native language and a state language in the course of studies. SM

Leonid Fedoseyev in an article in "SM" gives his explanation of the unwillingness to abolish the nationality column in passports prevailing among the Latvian authorities. Although international standards do not provide for including information on a person's race, religious belief, and ailments in a passport, the Latvian passports still contain information on their holders' ethnic nationality. Fedoseyev believes the requirement of stating one's nationality to be a manifestation of the current policy of the state aimed at ethnic segregation and not at the forming of a political nation. According to Fedoseyev, being an ethnic Latvian provides an individual with certain privileges. Another reason is the problem of ethnic Latvians identifying themselves among other ethnic groups. Since there is no political nation in Latvia, Latvians are desperately looking for the grounds to base their community on. The range of the search lies between a caste and a tribal understanding of identity. Many Latvians believe a loss of a documented confirmation of their ethnic origin will result in losing their social status. This applies mainly to Latgalian Latvians, many of whom have a poor command of the Latvian language, and to Latvians having non-Latvian family names. Fedoseyev believes that all these reasons prove that ethnic discrimination exists in Latvia.

Leonid Fedoseyev in an article in "SM" gives his explanation of the unwillingness to abolish the nationality column in passports prevailing among the Latvian authorities. Although international standards do not provide for including information on a person's race, religious belief, and ailments in a passport, the Latvian passports still contain information on their holders' ethnic nationality. Fedoseyev believes the requirement of stating one's nationality to be a manifestation of the current policy of the state aimed at ethnic segregation and not at the forming of a political nation. According to Fedoseyev, being an ethnic Latvian provides an individual with certain privileges. Another reason is the problem of ethnic Latvians identifying themselves among other ethnic groups. Since there is no political nation in Latvia, Latvians are desperately looking for the grounds to base their community on. The range of the search lies between a caste and a tribal understanding of identity. Many Latvians believe a loss of a documented confirmation of their ethnic origin will result in losing their social status. This applies mainly to Latgalian Latvians, many of whom have a poor command of the Latvian language, and to Latvians having non-Latvian family names. Fedoseyev believes that all these reasons prove that ethnic discrimination exists in Latvia. SM