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 Non-citizens elected its own public ombudsman
• Latvijas Avize interviews the MP Ilma Cepane about the new version of the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia

Vesti Segodnya reports about a session of the Congress of Non-citizens. The Congress decided to start a campaign on professional discrediting the Ombudsman Juris Jansons who according to the members of the Congress, by his recent statements violates his mandate. Therefore, the Congress elected its own public Ombudsman Jelena Bacinska.  The Congress also plans to hold its own survey of Latvian residents about Latvia’s future and solution of the issue concerning non-citizenship in Latvia in case of the court approves that the decision of the Central Elections Committee to refuse initiation of a referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens was legal.

Latvijas Avize interviews the head of the Saeima’s Legal Committee, MP Ilma Cepane about the new version of the draft Preamble or Introduction to the Constitution of Latvia. According to Mrs Cepane the author of the Preamble Egils Levits decided to withdraw the term “state nation” in the Preamble’s text due to extensive criticism from different experts that such term is unacceptable as it splits the society.  However, Mrs Cepane believes that the term “state nation” is correct and its essence remained in the text of the new draft Preamble. According to Mrs Cepane, state nation are those residents who integrated into the state language, culture, historical memory and they consider themselves as state nation, but those who consider that they belong to other nation are ethnic minorities. Ilma Cepane hopes that the Introduction to the Constitution will be adopted during present parliamentary term.