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.

• OSCE criticizes draft amendments to the Citizenship Law about the procedure of registration of non-citizens’ children as Latvian citizens
• Draft amendments to the Citizenship Law still open for proposals
• Political scientist Iveta Kazoka:  decision of Nils Usakovs not to support the referendum on non-citizenship is a political step before the forthcoming elections 

The High Commissioner for National Minorities Knut Vollebaek of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sent a letter to the Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina criticizing the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law about the procedure of registration of children as Latvian citizens born in a family of non-citizens. The Commissioner does not support regulation setting additional requirements for parents and their children in the process of granting citizenship, such as children and their parents must be permanent residents of Latvia and requirement for parents to sign the obligation to help their children to learn Latvian language and loyalty towards the state.  The Commissioner recommends to review the draft and to make its provisions applicable to all the non-citizens’ children born after 21 August 1991 as there are large number of such children who still have status of non-citizen. Neatkariga 

According to the head of the Saeima’s subcommittee on elaboration of amendments to the Citizenship Law Ingmars Caklais, the draft amendments to be submitted for the final reading in the Saeima will differ of those accepted in the second reading. The additional proposals are planned to be submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior. The newspaper Telegraf supposes that the final version of the draft amendment will reflect the appeal of the Moscow’s Association of Latvian Culture to allow also Latvians who have Russian citizenship to have dual citizenship with Latvia. As reported, presently the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law allow dual citizenship only with the EU, EFTA, or NATO member states. Telegraf 

A political scientist Iveta Kazoka believes the decision of the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs (Concord Centre) not to support the referendum on granting citizenship to non-citizens is a political step before the forthcoming municipal elections. According to Ms Kazoka, Nils Usakovs is popular also among ethnic Latvians and he will try not to loose this sympathy because otherwise it will be difficult for the Concord Centre to receive required amount of votes in order to establish the governing coalition in the city council after the elections. Chas