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.

• State Language Centre fines the head of the Matisa Prisons Investigation Department
• Latvijas Avize criticizes the initiative of the LASHOR to introduce a mandatory native language and literature examination in minority schools

The State Language Centre (SLC) has imposed a fine in the amount of LVL15 (~ EUR 20) on the head of the Investigation Department of the Matisa Prison and obligated her to improve her Latvian language proficiency till the next inspection. The prisons administration has expressed incomprehension about the decision noting that four months ago Latvian language proficiency of the official was already examined and qualified as sufficient. Head of the Control Department of the SLC Antons Kursitis explains that the decisions differ due to recent amendments in the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers which set higher state language proficiency level for prison staff. Diena

Latvijas Avize sharply criticizes an initiative of the Latvian Association for Support of Russian Language Schools (LASHOR in its Russian acronym) to introduce a mandatory native language and literature examination in educational programmes of minority secondary schools. The newspaper calls the initiative an attempt by the LASHOR to strengthen the positions of the Russian-language in society so in the future it would be granted the official status. According to the newspaper, minority schools already have a right to include these subjects in the list of mandatory examinations. Last week, the Committee of the Cabinet of Ministers removed the proposal from its agenda arguing that the proposal has legal deficiencies.