• Draft amendments forbidding non-citizens to chair political parties are under elaboration

Chas and Vesti Segodnya report about elaboration of the draft amendments to the Law on Political Parties forbidding non-citizens to chair political parties. It is planned that the draft amendments also will allow the prosecutor to suspend activities of parties. Leader of a party “For Native Language!” Vladimirs Lindermans believes the draft amendments are anti-democratic and are targeting him and his party. As reported, Vladimirs Lindermans and Jevgenijs Osipovs, both being Latvian non-citizens are leaders of recently established political party “For Native Language!”

• Author of a map Aleksandrs Rzhavins is puzzled by statements of the Minister of Defence, who accused him and NGO Russian Society of Latvia in anti-constitutional activities

Vesti Segodnya interviews the author of a map which according to the Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks identifies Nazism and fascism with Europe, while Latvia is presented as Russian, not European territory. Author of the map Aleksandrs Rzhavins is puzzled by statements of the Minister about the map and the Russian Society in Latvia (RSL). Mr Rzhavins does not see any distortion of historical facts in the text which accompanies the map and believes the Minster for some reason wrongly interpreted or translated the text. Mr.Rzhavins also reminded that earlier, Mr.Pabriks in his capacity of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that Turkey shares a common border with Russia. As reported, the Minister Pabriks appealed to the Security Police asking to evaluate whether the map prepared by the member of the RSL incites ethnic hatred and stated the RSL should be closed for its anti-national activities. The map shows 490 WWII memorials and soldiers’ burial places on the territory of Latvia.

• Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks believes that an NGO “Russian Society in Latvia” should be closed
• Publicist Dainis Lemesonoks: non-citizens cannot be classified as Latvian nation

The Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks believes that an NGO “Russian Society in Latvia” should be closed for its anti-national activities. The Minister appealed to the Security Police asking to evaluate a map prepared by the NGO's member which according to Mr Pabriks shows that this NGO is anti-national, anti-European, Russian radical nationalistic and hidden anti-Semitic. The map shows 490 WWII memorials and soldiers’ burialdifferent places on the territory of Latvia. According to Mr Pabriks, the map is accompanied with a text, which identifies nazism and fascism with Europe, while Latvia is presented as Russian, not European territory; national partisans are called not finished Nazis. Mr Pabriks believes this text incites ethnic hatred. Latvijas Avize

A Latvian publicist Dainis Lemesonoks states that non-citizens living in Latvia cannot be classified as Latvian nation, because they do not have political rights. According to Mr Lemesonoks, Latvian nation are all citizens and the state has the right to ask for loyalty towards the state from those who want to become its citizen. Mr Lemesonoks believes non-citizens have possibility to receive Latvian citizenship and it is a question whether they want it. Chas

• Five organisations chosen for projects on children exchange between ethnic minority and ethnic Latvian families
• Society Integration Foundation opened call for tender on Latvian language courses

The Society Integration Foundation has chosen five organisations which will implement projects on children exchange between ethnic minority and ethnic Latvian families. The aim of the projects is to promote children’s and their parents’ comprehension of cultural diversity, to evaluate the importance of cultural traditions, and to understand sense of belonging to the country and nation. It is planned to engage about 100 children in the projects. Latvijas Avize

The Society Integration Foundation opened call for tender on Latvian language courses for adults. The aim of the tender is to raise Latvian language proficiency of Latvian residents whose native language in not Latvian. Diena

• About 1,000 prisoners expressed their will to sign for the initiative to grant Latvian citizenship to non-citizens
• Minister of Justive Janis Bordans wants to limit broadcast of Russian TV channels in Latvia

According to Chas, about 1,000 prisoners expressed their will to sign for the initiative to grant Latvian citizenship to non-citizens. An NGO providing help for prisoners “Gara Speks” appealed to the management of prisons to allow the notary to visit those prisoners who want to sign. However, the prisons’ management delays the permission yet. As reported, 7,000 citizens signed for the initiative and the organisers need to collect 3,000 more signatures during the next couple of weeks in order to initiate state funded collection of signatures.

The Minister of Justice Janis Bordans believes that there are too many Russian TV channels available in Latvia. The Minister would like to see more European TV channels broadcasted for Latvian residents including channels of Estonia, Lithuania and Scandinavian countries in order to spread more information which serves the interests of Latvia and helps to feel that Latvia is in the European informative space. Chas