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

• A picket against the education reform organized by the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian Schools
• Statistical data about the ethnic structure of Latvian population
• Conflict between a Latvian language teacher and students
• Vesty Segodnya criticizes the Phare project tender organized by the Society Integration Foundation
• New programme of the Peoples Harmony partys on minority issues

Russian language newspapers feature articles about the visit of Alvaro Gil-Robles, the First Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe to Latvia, informing about a picket against the education reform organized by the Headquarters for the defense of Russian schools near the National Library of Latvia (NLL) during the meeting of Alvaro Gil-Robles with representatives of NGOs in this building.

Russian language newspapers feature articles about the visit of Alvaro Gil-Robles, the First Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe to Latvia, informing about a picket against the education reform organized by the Headquarters for the defense of Russian schools near the National Library of Latvia (NLL) during the meeting of Alvaro Gil-Robles with representatives of NGOs in this building. Vecernaya Riga, Telegraf, Vesti Segodnya, Chas

Vesti Segodnya features statistical data about the ethnic structure of the population of Latvia at the beginning of 2003. According to the Central Statistical Bureau, ethnic Latvians constitute 58,5% of the total population, Russians, the largest minority, - 29%. In 2002 the number of Germans increased by 100 persons, the number of Jews - from 9,637 to 10,125 persons and the number of Roma – from 8,267 to 8,358 persons. There are more than 40 national minorities living in Latvia.

Rigas Balss writes about a conflict between a Latvian language teacher and her students in a Riga Russian language school. 12th grade students have refused to attend the Latvian language lessons pointing to the ethnic preconceptions of the teacher. The teacher, in turn, denies this reproach and has sent an application to the Saeima Human Rights Committee, stating that she has been falsely accused. The Committee is planning to examine this application tomorrow. Ina Druviete, the Chairperson of the Saeima Human Rights Committee, considers the activities of the students as a provocation with the purpose to discredit not only the teacher, but also the Latvian language.

Vesti Segodnya continues discussion about the project tender for NGOs in the framework of the EU Phare programme administrated by the Society Integration Foundation, criticizing the fact that only licensed educational institutions can receive Phare funding for Latvian language training projects.

Chas publishes the main theses of the Peoples Harmony partys new programme, stating that non-citizens should be granted the rights to vote at municipal elections and to choose the language of instruction at the secondary school. According to the partys programme, there is also a need to ease the naturalization procedure, and to grant Latvian citizenship automatically to all permanent residents who have lived in Latvia for the last 10 years.