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.

• MP Andrejs Elksnins: Russian should be granted status of ethnic minority language in Latvia
• Vesti Segodnya prints an article by Aleksandrs Gilmans about recently terminated criminal proceedings against him on incitement to ethnic hatred and denial of genocide
• Latvijas Avize reports about the meeting of the Congress of Non-Citizens

The MP, member of the Concord Centre Andrejs Elksnins believes that it is not normal that Russian language which is native language for around 40% of residents has status of foreign language in Latvia. He believes that Russian should be granted status of ethnic minority language. Mr Elksnins believes that such status would promote society consolidation and would not harm the status of Latvian language as state language. In order to grant status of ethnic minority language to Russian there is no need to change the Constitution, but it is enough to adopt the law on ethnic minorities or to ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya prints an article by Aleksandrs Gilmans about a criminal proceeding against him on incitement to ethnic hatred and denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace and justification of war crimes, which was recently terminated due to the lack of evidence. Gilmans was charged for an article about Stalinist deportations in Latvia in 1941 published on 15 June 2012 following a letter to the Security Police initiated by the leader of nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM, MP Raivis Dzintars. Gilmans describes the materials of the case. For instance, the police asked the Ombudsman, two historians and one linguist to evaluate his statements. But in the end, only the conclusion of the Ombudsman was taken into account according to which Mr Gilmans did not exceed the limits of the freedom of speech.

Latvijas Avize reports about the meeting of the Congress of Non-Citizens (CN) conducted on 21 September. The CN expressed its support to the party Russian Union of Latvia because both have the same aims – to grant Russian language official status in Latvia and to grant citizenship to all non-citizens.