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.

 

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• Naturalisation Board organises Latvian language training free of charge
• Latvian nationalistic organisation submitted a formal request not to allow the protest meeting against the education reform
• Interview with sociologist Renald Simonjan about the Russian-speakers in Latvia
• Article about the first study on the situation of Roma in Latvia
• Boris Tsilevich: the non-citizens will be able to travel within the EU without visas
• Chas continues discussion about the education reform

The Naturalisation Board invites people willing to acquire the citizenship to participate in Latvian language training free of charge. This year the training will be provided for 1400 persons and for the first time the training session will be financed from the state budget (50 000 LVL), additional funding is provided by the embassies of US, Norway and Sweden. It is planned that next year the training will be available for 2500 persons.

The Naturalisation Board invites people willing to acquire the citizenship to participate in Latvian language training free of charge. This year the training will be provided for 1400 persons and for the first time the training session will be financed from the state budget (50 000 LVL), additional funding is provided by the embassies of US, Norway and Sweden. It is planned that next year the training will be available for 2500 persons. Lauku Avize, Telegraf

Lauku Avize prints the text of the formal request submitted to the Minister of Interior Affairs by the Latvian nationalistic organisation All for Latvia! asking not to allow the unapproved protest meeting against the education reform on September 4th near the monument of the Latvian poet Janis Rainis.

Lauku Avize features an interview with sociologist Renald Simonjan, the director of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sociology Institutes Centre for Relations between Russia and Baltic states. He believes that the problems of Russian-speakers discrimination in Latvia could have been solved if the Russian President Boris Yeltsin, signing the agreement on Latvias independence recognition, has asked to grant the citizenship to Russian-speakers living in Latvia. The sociologist hopes that after Latvias joining EU and NATO Latvian government will liberalize the Citizenship Law and change the attitude towards the Russian Schools.

Vesti Segodnya features an article about the first study on the situation of Roma in Latvia conducted by the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies. The newspaper provides information about the principal conclusions of the study: that direct and indirect discrimination against Roma exists in Latvia, that 95% of Roma are unemployed and more than 40% of Roma have fourth grade or lower education.

According to Boris Tsilevich, MP of People’s Solidarity Party, after Latvia’s joining the EU, the non-citizens of Latvia will have to obtain visas for travel within the EU only if the Latvian government does not sign the Schengen agreement.

According to Boris Tsilevich, MP of Peoples Solidarity Party, after Latvias joining the EU, the non-citizens of Latvia will have to obtain visas for travel within the EU only if the Latvian government does not sign the Schengen agreement. Vesti Segodnya

Chas features articles about education reform. While Riga City Councils Education, Youth and Sports Departments officials announce that the education reform is in progress, and that Russian schools have to present their individual plans about the enforcement of the language norms till October 15th, the walls of Daugavpils municipality buildings have accrued appeals by national-bolshevics to the parents, asking to ignore the school at September 2nd as a protest against the school reform. The newspaper emphasizes that according to the feed-back from its readers, parents require rights to chose the language of education at any leveal of schooling.