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

• Survey about the reasons why non-citizens do not naturalise
• Chas prints an interview with the MP Romaulds Razuks about the Latvian People’s Front’s position on citizenship in the early 90s

According to a survey conducted by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, 24,8% of non-citizens believe that Latvian citizenship should be granted to them automatically, 21,3% believe they will not be able to pass the naturalisation test. 17,2% of respondents wait for the naturalisation procedure to be eased, 13,5 %, in their turn, do not want to receive Latvian citizenship because it is easier to travel to the CIS countries with non-citizens’ passport as it does not require visa. 9% of non-citizens has no time for naturalisation process, while 8,2% of respondents are satisfied with the status of non-citizen. Only 24,6% of non-citizens are planning to apply for naturalisation in the near future. Chas

Chas prints an interview with the MP Romaulds Razuks about the position of the Latvian People’s Front (LPF) regarding the citizenship issue during the restoration of Latvian independence in the early 90s. According to Mr Razuks, the LPF never promised that all Latvian residents will be grated Latvian citizenship automatically. Mr. Razuks explains that the program of the LPF on restoration of independence stressed that each case on granting citizenship will be evaluated individually. Mr Razuks acknowledges that the decision to grant citizenship only to residents who were Latvian citizens before Soviet occupation and their descendants alienated part of ethnic non-Latvians from the state, however, Mr Razuks hesitates to evaluate whether the decision was right or wrong.

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Integration Monitor