• Age, gender and ethnicity/native language are the most often discriminatory factors used by employers evaluating potential job applicants
• Ministry of Interior: the draft law on granting Latvian citizenship to all non-citizens contravenes the EU commitments

According to a survey on compliance of personnel recruitment practices with the Labour Law, conducted by a company CV-Online Latvia, age, gender and ethnicity/native language are the most often discriminatory factors used by employers evaluating potential applicants for job. 12% of employers do not comply with the requirements of the Labour Law regarding job announcements. 60% of those ask for foreign language proficiency unreasonably in an announcement, 23% indicate age and 17% indicate gender of search employee. Employers explained they ask for additional foreign language proficiency taking into account that in future an employee might have to communicate with foreign partners, clients or enterprise’s foreign owners. Neatkariga

The Ministry of Interior negatively evaluates the draft law on granting Latvian citizenship to all non-citizens. The Ministry argues that it is impermissible situation when a person has a valid document (passport of non-citizen), yet the legal status itself no longer exists and the person would use the document, which no longer corresponds to his legal status; besides, this is a long-term process which would bring uncertainty not only to Latvia, but also abroad, as well as contravening the EU commitments. As reported, the draft law collected 10,000 of required signatures and was submitted to the Central Election Committee (CEC) for the second stage of initiation of national referendum. However, the CEC asked for evaluation of the draft law by various legal experts and institutions and on the basis of these evaluations will take the decision whether such draft law can be forwarded for potential referendum. Chas

Integration and Minority Information Service of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights

• Vesti Segodnya interviews head of the State Service of Education Quality about a teacher of a Russian language school Vladislavs Rafalskis
• MP Ingmars Caklais: requirement for parents non-citizens to sign a paper promising to give the child patriotic education is not new

Vesti Segodnya interviews head of the State Service of Education Quality (SSEQ) Inita Juhnevica about the SSEQ’s position regarding a teacher of a Russian language school Vladislavs Rafalskis. According to Mrs Juhnevica teacher Rafalskis by his public statement on disloyalty towards the state violated the Education Law which says that a teacher should educate patriots of Latvia. Mrs Juhnevica also stated that the SSEQ only recommended the school director to dismiss the teacher and to check all other school teachers for correspondence with the law and will not follow implementation of recommendations by the director.

Head of the Saeima’s sub-committee on elaboration of draft amendments to the Citizenship Law Ingmars Caklais in an interview with Chas asserts that a legal norm which stipulates that parents non-citizens registering their child as citizen of Latvia have to sign a paper promising to give the child patriotic education is not new and it already exists in the law. The majority of the MPs working in the subcommittee did not agree to take this norm out of the law. Mr Caklais considers that such requirement is symbolic approval of attitude towards the state. According to Mr Caklais the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law might be approved by 18 November – the Latvia’s Independence Day. Chas

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Integration Monitor

• Sestdiena features an interview with a Brazilian Thiago who now lives in Latvia
• PhD dissertation “Ethnic stereotypes of ethnic Latvians in the end of XX century – beginning of XXI century”

 

Weekly magazine Sestdiena features an interview with a Brazilian Thiago who immigrated to Latvia from Brazil after he got married with a Latvian citizen.  For Thiago the biggest challenge after moving toLatvia was language and cultural differences. “I try to understand Latvians, what kind of people live here. I’m trying to learn and to understand how Latvians do things and how they feel – says Thiago – the fact that I learn to speak Latvian does not mean I become less Brazilian. ”Thiago is involved in the international project AMITIE funded by the EU and conducted in Latvia by the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and the Department of Education, Sports and Culture of the Riga City Council. The AMITIE informative campaign “This is my story… or our?” informs the society about positive aspects of migration stressing the contribution of immigrants in economic, social and cultural development of the state.

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)

 

According to a PhD dissertation “Ethnic stereotypes of ethnic Latvians in the end of XX century – beginning of XXI century”, ethnic Latvians call “Russians” all residents who speak Russian or arrived to Latviaafter the WWII including Ukrainians, Belorussians and Jews. According to author of the PhD dissertation ethnic scientist Ilze Boldane, ethnic Latvians consider that a real “ethnic Latvian” is a person one of whose parents is ethnic Latvian, was born in Latvia, studied in a Latvian language school. Vesti Segodnya

• ethnic Latvians emigrate because of insufficient Russian language proficiency
• Minister of Foreign Affairs considers that Vladimirs Lindermans  might be criminally punished for statements about the autonomy of Latgale

Representative of the State Language Centre Antons Kursitis believes young ethnic Latvians emigrate from Latvia because of insufficient Russian language proficiency. According to Mr Kursitis, Russian language is highly demanded in service area but many young ethnic Latvians do not study it at school. Vesti Segodnya

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkevics considers that Vladimirs Lindermans (leader of the party “For Native Language”) might be criminally punished for his statements about the autonomy of Latgale (eastern region of Latvia). According to the Minister, territorial integrity of Latvian state is strictly protected by the law. As reported, Vladimirs Lindermans called to grant Latgale region the status of autonomy thus giving adequate response to the attempt of the politicians not to allow the referendum on non-citizens

• Chas prints an interview with the director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska
• President’s Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities met with NGOs
• Vladimirs Lindermans calls to grant Latgale region the status of autonomy

Chas prints an interview with the director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Anhelita Kamenska. Ms Kamenska believes the potential referendum on granting Latvian citizenship automatically to all non-citizens is a strong reminder about the non-resolved problem of non-citizens in Latvia. Ms Kamenska highlights that the amendments to the Citizenship Law are predominantly aimed at increasing the Latvian citizenry through dual citizenship arrangements rather than by decreasing the number of non-citizens. Although the easing of the registration of non-citizen children should be deemed positive, it is not automatic granting of citizenship to non-citizen children. It also remains to be seen whether the amendments will refer to all non-citizen children born since August 1991. The earlier referendum on granting Russian the status of a second language led to the increased state funding for free Latvian language training courses in Latgale and other integration related programmes. Commenting on the controversy surrounding the teacher of the Russian language school V.Rafalskis (also member of the political party For Human Rights in the United Latvia) and his statements on disloyalty towards the Latvian state, Ms Kamenska states that the opinion alone cannot be ground for his dismissal. However, it is essential that teacher’s political views do no interfere with his work with schoolchildren.

Latvijas Avize reports about a meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities. This time the Council met the representatives of minority NGOs and youth organisations to discuss their vision of society consolidation.

Leader of a party “For Native Language” Vladimirs Lindermans calls to grant Latgale region the status of autonomy thus giving adequate response to the attempt of the politicians not to allow the referendum on non-citizens. Mr Lindermans believes this is what the residents of Latgale desire and their preference will be approved by a study.