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.

• Congress of a political party Unity focuses on the forthcoming municipal elections in Riga
• Patriarch Cyril of the Russian Orthodox Christian Church criticizes Latvia for problem regarding Russian language and non-citizens
• Sestdiena interviews a woman who immigrated from Ukraine to Latvia
• Activists for non-citizens’ rights held adiscussion in Strasbourg

Newspapers report about a congress of a political party Unity held last weekend. Party’s leaders put the main emphasis on the forthcoming municipal elections and in particular on municipal elections in Riga. The candidate to the Mayor of Riga Sarmite Elerte stated that Riga should be ethnically Latvian and at the same time it should be European, diverse, multilingual, open, and dynamic and create city. Mrs Elerte stated that Riga will not become two-lingual, two-community and split city. Vesti Segodnya, Chas, Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

Patriarch Cyril of Moscow and all the Rus’ (Russian Orthodox Christian Church) during meeting with the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs, stated if Latvia solves issues regarding status of Russian language and large-scale non-citizenship it will bring social peace and stability to the country. The Patriarch stated it is non-sense that Russian language has status of foreign language in Latvia when for 44% of its residents it is native language. Vesti Segodnya, Chas

Weekly magazine Sestdiena features an interview with one of a project’s AMITIE ambassador in Latvia Mira. Mira arrived to Latvia from Ukraine two years ago following her husband. At present, Mira works in Riga and studies for her third Masters degree in one of the Latvian universities. Mira is actively involved in the work of non-governmental organisations on issues concerning asylums seekers.  

More about the AMITIE project on http://www.facebook.com/AMITIEproject?ref=hl and http://cilvektiesibas.org.lv/lv/media-materials/notiks-informativas-kampanas-sis-ir-mans-stasts-va-223/ (in Latvian)

Vesti Segodnya reports about a discussion about non-citizenship problem in Latvia held at the European Parliament’s Intergroup for Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages in November 2012. The discussion was initiated by the MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka. According to the activists for non-citizens’ rights who participated in the Intergroup discussion, the large-scale non-citizenship in Latvia is the basis for discriminative policies against Russian language, schools, culture and the exclusion of ethnic Russian residents from the governance of the country.