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

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

• Recommendations of the First Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Alvaro Gill-Robles to Latvia
• Saeima Government Review Committee meets Nils Muiznieks, the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration
• Draft amendments to the law On the Status of Former Citizens of the USSR Who are Not Citizens of Latvia or Any Other State
• Latvian National Human Rights Office will examine the complaint of a Latvian language teacher about conflict with her students

Newspapers feature recommendations of Alvaro Gill-Robles, the First Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, on social integration issues in Latvia. The Commissioner has advised to simplify the naturalization exams, provide them free of charge, and grant voting rights to non-citizens at municipal elections, thus increasing their sense of state identity and motivation to naturalize. According to Diena, the Commissioner has stated that recommendations of the Council of Europe are not binding for Latvia. He also pointed that the monitoring of minority rightsin Latvia should not be renewed because of the fact that Latvia has not ratified the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. However, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is the one to make the final decision. Neatkariga Rita Avize features opinions of human rights experts and Latvian officials on possibility of granting voting rights to non-citizens at municipal elections. According to the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration Nils Muiznieks, more attention should be paid to naturalization of 110,000 children and young people who are not Latvian citizens. Lauku Avize and Telegraf also print articles about the meeting of Alvaro Gill-Robles with the MPs. Lauku Avize, Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize

Yesterday the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration Nils Muiznieks met with the Saeima Government Review Committee answering questions about his stance on various social integration issues and informing about the planned activities. According to Muiznieks, Latvias accession to the EU should not affect the education reform. The minister also referred to his meetings with representatives of several international institutions, where he objected to the need of granting voting rights to non-citizens at municipal elections, and stressed that Latvian priority is to promote naturalization. Lauku Avize

The Russian State Council has prepared a statement about minority rights situation in Latvia. According to the statement, the EU is planning to admit Latvia as a member despite the fact that its observation of minority rights does not comply with the European human rights standards. The newspaper does not specify the addressee of this statement. Vesti Segodnya

The Saeima Human rights and Public Affairs Committee examined draft amendments to the law On the Status of Former Citizens of the USSR Who are Not Citizens of Latvia or Any Other State elaborated by the government. The amendments stipulate that non-citizens have an opportunity to renounce the status of a non-citizen of Latvia if they become residents of other states and obtain a travelling document there. According to the present law, only Latvian non-citizens living in the CIS states, lose their status. According to the draft amendments, a person should be a permanent resident of Latvia to get the status of Latvian non-citizen. Lauku Avize

The Saeima Human Rights Committee delegated the examination of the Latvian language teacher`s complaint about a conflict situation with her students to the Latvian National Human Rights Office. The conflict aroused after the students refusal to attend the Latvian language lessons allegedly because of ethnic preconceptions of the teacher. Rigas Balss