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.

• Parliament of Un-represented conducted its second session
• MEP from Latvia Karlis Sadurskis: education system in one (Latvian) language would let to increase teachers’ wages
• Journalist Ksenija Zagorovska: Latvian government did everything possible to merge different parts of ethnic Russian residents into one community

Vesti Segodnya reports about a second session of the Parliament of Un-represented. Member of the Parliament Aleksandrs Gaponenko informed about the initial work of the committee on counting damage caused to non-citizens by Latvian authorities. According to Mr. Gaponenko, there are prepared complaint forms for non-citizens who believe they were caused damage from the status of non-citizen. On the basis of these forms, the lawyers will submit appeals to court – large number of private claims against the state. Other member, Vladimirs Lindermans proposed to establish a committee which will prepare appeals to the Saeima on a regular basis proposing cancellation of legal norms discriminatory to non-citizens.

MEP from Latvia Karlis Sadurskis (former Minister of Education who introduced language reform in minority schools in 2004) considers that it is time to end the bilingual education system and transfer all state funded Russian language schools into Latvian language only. Mr Sadurskis believes education system in one language would let to increase teachers’ wages because it would save finances spent for maintenance of bilingual system. Mr Sadurskis proposes to start transition of minority school into Latvian language gradually starting with first grades in 2015, first and second grades in 2016 and so on. According to Karlis Sadurskis, integration in Latvia should be based only on Latvian language. Latvijas Avize

Neatkariga prints an interview with journalist, ex-editor of one the former biggest Russian language newspapers Chas (the newspaper does not exist anymore) Ksenija Zagorovska. According to Mrs Zagorovska, historically Russians in Latvia were not united, because one part of Russians have been living in Latvia during the first Latvian republic in 1918-1940 but the other part arrived during Soviet period. First part automatically received Latvian citizenship but many people from the second part still have status of non-citizen.  Mrs Zagorovska believes that Latvian government did everything possible by enforcing aggressive reforms, showing contemptuous attitude towards all “Russian things” to merge these two parts of Russian speaking residents into one community. Mrs Zagorovska also states that it is wrong to think that Russian residents want to see Russia in Latvia because it is myth and 98% of Russians certainly do not want it and respect the order of things in this country.