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.

• Saeima refused to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day of Latvian legionnaires
• Vesti Segodnya reports about a “bus of integration”
• Research about social memory: comprehension about the WWII events splits the Latvian society
• Latgalian activists: autonomy of Latgale will make the region not Latgalian but Russian
• Vesti Segodnya: Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs refused to accept an application from a guardian of a child to register the child as Latvian citizen

Today, the Saeima has refused to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. Authors of the proposal – the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM – believed that it would restore historical justice and promote respectful attitude of the state authorities and society towards the Latvian national warriors. 18 of 100 MPs supported the proposal, 63 voted against, remaining MPs did not take part in the voting. news agency LETA

Vesti Segodnya reports about a “bus of integration” launched by the National Integration Centre. The “bus of integration” exhibits artworks made by ethnic minorities. Yesterday the bus was stationed in the centre of Riga. The aim of such activity is to introduce Latvian residents with culture of ethnic minorities. The National Integration Centre was established by the Ministry of Culture within the framework of a project on integration of third country nationals. The newspaper notes that it is unclear how such activity promotes the integration of the target group. The newspaper also notes that only Russian speaking journalists attended this opening event, yet the Minister of Culture refused to speak Russian.

Latvijas Avize reports about a research project “Monitoring of Latvian Social Memory.” In the framework of the research, its authors conducted several opinion polls of different groups of Latvian residents in 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012. According to the results, comprehension about the WWII events splits the Latvian society and there are no positive changes over time. The research shows that still there is a large number of Russian speaking young people who believe that Latvia got voluntary incorporated within the Soviet Union after the WWII which contradicts the official Latvian history politics and comprehension about occupation of the Baltic countries.

Neatkariga interviews activist for preservation of Latgalian (residents of the eastern Latvian region – Latgale) culture and identity in Latvia – head of an NGO “Latgalian Saeima” Andris Slisans and a Latgalian writer and artist Antons Rancans. Both believe that idea of the autonomy of Latgale proposed and promoted by Vladimirs Lindermans, Aleksandrs Gaponenko and their companions, will make the region not Latgalian but Russian. According to Mr. Slisans, Latgalians face difficulties to preserve their culture not only because of the lack of support of official authorities, but also due to large impact of Russian language and Russification of its regions. As one of the best solutions how to strengthen Latgalian identity and self confidence, Mr Slisans sees introduction of lessons in Latgalian language in schools in this region.

Vesti Segodnya reports about a case when the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) refused to accept an application from a guardian of a child (who is non-citizen) to register the child as Latvian citizen. According to the child’s guardian, the OCMA’s official refused to accept her application arguing that only the true parents have the right to submit such application about their child. After the guardian appealed to the newspaper and it contacted the head of the OCMA’s Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs, the OCMA accepted the application. Mr Gorbunovs, in his turn, called this accident as misunderstanding because the guardians have the same rights as the true parents.