• President’s commission on constitutional rights: foreseeing irrevocable articles in the Constitution of Latvia is not the best solution for strengthening the core of the Constitution
• Chas and Vesti Segodnya report about opening of a monument to Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires in Bauska

The President’s commission on constitutional rights considers that foreseeing irrevocable articles in the Constitution of Latvia is not the best solution for strengthening the core of the Constitution. According to the head of the commission Egils Levits, the better way would be to reflect the core of the Constitution in its preamble. As reported, some politicians came with an initiative to set irrevocable articles in the Constitution regarding the state language and other issues concerning national state as a response to the referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language in Latvia and collection of signatures for referendum on granting citizenship to non-citizens. Mr Levits believes that the principle core of the Constitution should say that Latvia is democratic, legal, socially responsible and national state. Identity of Latvian state is reflected in the articles on its territory and Latvian language as the state language. By setting irrevocable articles it would be forbidden to make amendments to the articles which could strengthen the core even more – believes Egils Levits. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga, Chas

Chas and Vesti Segodnya report about opening of a monument to the three police battalions of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires in Bauska (town in the central part of Latvia). The title on the monument says “To the liberators of Bauska against second Soviet occupation. Latvia should be ethnic Latvian state.” The Latvian Union against Nazism calls to remove the monument from the town’s centre to the fraternal cemetery because the two of three police battalions mentioned on the monument were the Nazi punitive units and took part in the genocide crimes in Russia, Belorussia and Ukraine in 1942-1944. Establishment of the monument also evoked wave of criticism from Russian Embassy in Latvia and Russia’s mass media.  

• Teacher Vladislavs Rafalskis: I use constitutional rights on freedom of speech

A teacher Vladislavs Rafalskis gave his explanation to a school administration about his statements. As reported, Vladislavs Rafalskis stated in a radio interview: “I am not loyal towards this state, I despise the regime, because it repels my children, it permanently complicates their life.” Mr Rafalskis explained that he abstains from expression of political views when teaching students but outside the school he uses rights granted by the Constitution of Latvia on the freedom of speech. According to Mr Rafalskis, he spoke only about political regime, not Latvian culture or national self-conciseness. Vesti Segodnya

 

• Ex-head of the Constitutional Court Aivars Endzins: granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens automatically is a threat to the independence of Latvia
• Former President Valdis Zatlers: referendum on non-citizens does not threaten national security
• Teacher Vladislavsks Rafalskis will have to give explanations about his recent statements
• Daugavpils City Council is not ably to satisfy high demand for Latvian language courses this season
• Non-citizens are not able to use only the ID card when crossing the country border

Ex-head of the Constitutional Court and one of the authors of the Citizenship Law accepted in 1994, Aivars Endzins believes that granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens automatically is a threat to the independence of Latvia. According to Mr Endzins, ethnic composition in Latvia was substantially changed during the Soviet era and in the end of 80’s there were only 52% of ethnic Latvians. Such proportion could be a threat on the way for Latvia’s independence and its strengthening. Therefore, the elaborated Citizenship Law stipulated that Latvian citizenship can be granted by registration only to those residents and their descendants who had Latvian citizenship until the occupation of Latvia by 17 June 1940. Mr Endzins considers, despite the situation with ethnic proportion has changed, these changes are not convincing and irreversible.

Former President, the MP Valdis Zatlers (Reforms Party) considers that the referendum on granting citizenship to non-citizens does not threaten national security. Mr Zatlers maintains that the citizens have the right to initiate referendums. Mr Zatlers does not support the idea to grant citizenship to non-citizens automatically; he does, however believe that the children of non-citizens should be granted citizenship without any additional requirements. Vesti Segodnya

A teacher of a Russian language school Vladislavsks Rafalskis will have to give his explanations to the administration of the school where he is employed about his recent statements. As reported, the nationalists’ union “All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM appealed to the Minister of Education calling to evaluate whether Vladislavs Rafalskis who stated in a radio interview: “I am not loyal towards this state, I despise the regime, because it repels my children, it permanently complicates their life.” The school also plans to conduct a survey among the students whether Mr Rafalskis is appropriate for his job as well as to discuss the matter at school board’s meeting and at the committee on ethics. The Security Police, in its turn, refused to initiate a criminal case against Mr Rafalskis arguing that subjective opinion of a person towards the state cannot be the reason for criminal legal evaluation. Vesti Segodnya, Chas

TheDaugavpils City Council is able to grant funding for free-of-charge Latvian language courses for only 300 persons this season, while, 400 persons are in a waiting list for courses till January 2013. The City Council granted LVL 10,000 for the courses and appealed for additional funding to the Ministry of Education and Science, the State Language Centre and the State Employment Agency. However, all the institutions refused to grant the funding and suggested to attract the EU grants. Chas

Vesti Segodnya reports that non-citizens are not able to use only the ID card when crossing the border and they have to show the passport. According to a representative of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, the ID card is valid for travelling within Europe as the only ID document only for citizens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Teacher of a Russian language school stated that he is disloyal towards Latvian state
• 51% of Latvian residents do not support granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens automatically
• Political scientist Juris Rozenvalds: there is no one truth in non-citizenship issue

The nationalists’ union “All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM appealed to the Minister of Education calling to evaluate whether Vladislavs Rafalskis who stated in a radio broadcast that he is disloyal towards Latvian state has the right to work in a school as a teacher. Mr Rafalskis works in a Russian language school in Riga and was known for his activities against introduction of bilingual education system in minority schools in 2002. In a radio interview Mr Rafalskis stated: “I am not loyal towards this state, I despise the regime, because it repels my children, it permanently complicates their life.” The nationalists’ union believes that such persons cannot teach children and work in Latvian education establishments. Minister of Education Roberts Kilis also believes that a teacher should not make such statements because the mission of teachers is to raise responsible people and Latvian patriots, however, the Ministry is not responsible for hiring school’s personnel.

According to a public opinion survey conducted by TNS Latvia and TV channel LNT, 51% of economically active residents of Latvia do not support initiative on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens automatically.  31% of respondents support this initiative. 18% have no specific opinion about the issue. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

According to a political scientist Juris Rozenvalds, problem of non-citizens is a classic example of uniqueness and complicatedness of situation in Latvia when there is no one truth. However, the initiative for support of referendum on granting citizenship to non-citizens in its present form leads to a new wave of radicalisation because of its ethnic dimension. Chas

• OSCE criticizes draft amendments to the Citizenship Law about the procedure of registration of non-citizens’ children as Latvian citizens
• Draft amendments to the Citizenship Law still open for proposals
• Political scientist Iveta Kazoka:  decision of Nils Usakovs not to support the referendum on non-citizenship is a political step before the forthcoming elections 

The High Commissioner for National Minorities Knut Vollebaek of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) sent a letter to the Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina criticizing the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law about the procedure of registration of children as Latvian citizens born in a family of non-citizens. The Commissioner does not support regulation setting additional requirements for parents and their children in the process of granting citizenship, such as children and their parents must be permanent residents of Latvia and requirement for parents to sign the obligation to help their children to learn Latvian language and loyalty towards the state.  The Commissioner recommends to review the draft and to make its provisions applicable to all the non-citizens’ children born after 21 August 1991 as there are large number of such children who still have status of non-citizen. Neatkariga 

According to the head of the Saeima’s subcommittee on elaboration of amendments to the Citizenship Law Ingmars Caklais, the draft amendments to be submitted for the final reading in the Saeima will differ of those accepted in the second reading. The additional proposals are planned to be submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior. The newspaper Telegraf supposes that the final version of the draft amendment will reflect the appeal of the Moscow’s Association of Latvian Culture to allow also Latvians who have Russian citizenship to have dual citizenship with Latvia. As reported, presently the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law allow dual citizenship only with the EU, EFTA, or NATO member states. Telegraf 

A political scientist Iveta Kazoka believes the decision of the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs (Concord Centre) not to support the referendum on granting citizenship to non-citizens is a political step before the forthcoming municipal elections. According to Ms Kazoka, Nils Usakovs is popular also among ethnic Latvians and he will try not to loose this sympathy because otherwise it will be difficult for the Concord Centre to receive required amount of votes in order to establish the governing coalition in the city council after the elections. Chas