• Sub-committee on elaboration of Citizenship Law finished its work on draft amendments to the Citizenship Law

The Saeima’s sub-committee on elaboration of Citizenship Law finished its work on draft amendments to the Citizenship Law and forwarded those for approval to the Legal Affairs Committee. The work on the draft law continued for almost two years. The major changes concern allowing dual citizenship and minimising bureaucratic procedure on registration of non-citizens’ children born in Latvia as Latvian citizens. The Parliament may review and support the draft law before the summer holidays. Vesti Segodnya, Neatkariga

• Diena prints an interview with the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee Ilmars Latkovskis

Diena prints an interview with the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee Ilmars Latkovskis. Last week, Mr Latkovskis stated that he wants to resign from the post of the head of the Committee due to a pressure from coalition and opposition MPs who pushed him during the session to reveal how he will vote regarding the proposal to grant 16 March status of official commemoration day of Latvian legionnaires. Mr Latkvoskis believes that reconciliation of the society means an agreement to “stop war.” Mr Latkovskis believes comparing of 16 March and 9 May (victory Day) should be stopped. According to him, the opposite sides will never be able to agree on the common view of history, but it is important for the opponents at least to try to listen to each other’s opinion and do not stress their disagreements on every occasion. Mr Latkovskis also believes that citizenship should be the unifying element regardless of the existing ethnic distinction in the society and if the society agrees about common view on Latvia’s future it would be much easier to overcome disagreements about the past events.

• Newspapers report about 16 March events in Riga
• Latvijas Avize prints an article about naturalisation process

Newspapers report about 16 March - unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires – events in Riga. The events began early in the morning when a youth organisation “Let’s Play” (“Paspelesimies”- in Latvian) informed the public about the importance of the 16 March and than nationalists’ organisation “Hawks of Daugava” (“Daugavas Vanagi” in Latvian) held a picket. Later, representatives of “anti-fascists” organisations laid flowers to the Monument of Freedom commemorating victims of WWII.  Near the Monument the “anti-fascists” also deployed big posters with photos of concentration camp prisoners and shooting of civilians by Nazi. After that, former legionnaires and their supporters (mostly young and middle aged persons) held a traditional procession through the city centre to the Monument of Freedom with an aim to lay the flowers. The procession was headed by the MPs of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM Raivis Dzintars, Janis Dombrava, Imants Paradnieks, Dzintars Rasnacs, and others. At the moment when the procession approached the Monument, the anti-fascists turned on alarm loudly, followed by a Soviet-era memorial song “Buchenwald Alarm.” After that, the anti-fascists named Nazi crimes through megaphone. Such actions provoked the participants of the procession, including the MPs, who tried to attack the “anti-fascists” and their installations. As a result, the special security forces had to interfere to stop the short fight. After the events, the nationalists’ union requested the dismissal of the Minister of Interior for inability of the police to maintain the public order. During the events the police detained four persons. In total, about 3,000 took part in the events on 16 March. Diena, Neatkariga, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize prints an article about the naturalisation process and why do people choose to become Latvian citizens. According to the head of the Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs, usually non-citizens choose to become Latvian citizens not because of the sense of patriotism but due to rational reasons, considering the benefits of this status – such as citizenship of the EU, voting rights, rights for employment in other EU countries.

• Ilmars Latkovskis resigned from the post of the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee

The MP Ilmars Latkovskis (nationalists’ union All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM) resigned from the post of the head of the Saeima’s Society Consolidation Committee after its last session. Mr Latkovskis stated that his decision is caused by a pressure from coalition and opposition MPs who pushed him during the session to reveal how he will vote regarding the proposal to grant 16 March status of official commemoration day of Latvian legionnaires. As reported, yesterday, The Saeima refused the proposal of the nationalists’ union to grant 16 March status of the official commemoration day. Ilmars Latkovskis abstained from the voting. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

• 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.