• Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee supports a candidature of Nils Muiznieks for post of the director of the Latvian National Human Rights Office
• Ministry of Welfare proposes to issue work permits to asylum seekers
• Russian-language newspapers reprint fragments of the article by the leader of the Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party Juris Bojars about naturalisation

Yesterday the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee supported a candidature of Nils Muiznieks for post of the director of the Latvian National Human Rights Office (LNHRO). The Saeima will take a final decision. Nils Muiznieks believes that in the future the LNHRO should be a pro-active in anti-discrimination area and have a bigger capacity to review claims about human rights violations in closed institutions.

Yesterday the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee supported a candidature of Nils Muiznieks for post of the director of the Latvian National Human Rights Office (LNHRO). The Saeima will take a final decision. Nils Muiznieks believes that in the future the LNHRO should be a pro-active in anti-discrimination area and have a bigger capacity to review claims about human rights violations in closed institutions. Latvijas Avize reports that Nils Muiznieks may be appointed by the Saeima if he receives the support of left-wing MPs because two ruling parties – The New Era and For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM – will vote against him. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Chas

Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers supported amendments to the regulations ‘On Work Permits to Foreigners’ submitted by the Ministry of Welfare. The draft amendments provide that ‘if within a year an asylum seeker has not received decision issued by the Refugee Department on the granting the status of refugee or alternative status, the Board shall issue the decision on the granting an asylum seeker a work permit.’

Yesterday the Cabinet of Ministers supported amendments to the regulations ‘On Work Permits to Foreigners submitted by the Ministry of Welfare. The draft amendments provide that ‘if within a year an asylum seeker has not received decision issued by the Refugee Department on the granting the status of refugee or alternative status, the Board shall issue the decision on the granting an asylum seeker a work permit. Vesti Segodnya

Russian-language newspapers reprint fragments of the article by the leader of the Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party Juris Bojars about naturalisation in Latvia, published by

Russian-language newspapers reprint fragments of the article by the leader of the Latvian Social Democratic Labour Party Juris Bojars about naturalisation in Latvia, published by Latvijas Avize 12 September. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

• Members of the Saeima Citizenship Law Implementation Committee discuss the necessity to strengthen the Citizenship Law
• Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee will evaluate Nils Muiznieks candidacy for post of director of the Latvian National Human Rights Office
• Statement of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia on the minority education reform
• Neatkariga Rita Avize features an article about the centre for asylum seekers Mucenieki

Latvijas Avize features views of several members of the Saeima Citizenship Law Implementation Committee about the necessity to strengthen the Citizenship Law. Arvids Ulme (The Union of Farmers and Greens) and Inara Ostrovska (The New Era) believe that the ban on the grant of Latvian citizenship should be based on courts decision. Inara Ostrovska also believes that the Law should provide that a person might be deprived Latvian citizenship if s/he acts against national interests. The MP adds that requirements of the Latvian language exam must be set higher. While the representative of The New Era Ausma Kantane doubts the necessity to strengthen the provisions of the Citizenship Law, however, she stresses that the effective law should be fully enforced.

Today the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee will evaluate Nils Muiznieks’ candidacy for the post of the director of the Latvian National Human Rights Office.

Today the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee will evaluate Nils Muiznieks candidacy for the post of the director of the Latvian National Human Rights Office. Chas

Russian language newspapers feature the statement of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia on the minority education reform. The union addresses minority students, their parents and teachers of minority schools calling them to use minority languages in the study process as frequently as possible to maintain the quality of education.

Russian language newspapers feature the statement of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia on the minority education reform. The union addresses minority students, their parents and teachers of minority schools calling them to use minority languages in the study process as frequently as possible to maintain the quality of education. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Neatkariga Rita Avize features an article about the centre for asylum seekers Mucenieki. The centre was renovated with the financial support of the United States, Sweden and the United Nations High Commissariat on Refugees. According to the newspaper, the centre has been used for other purposes since last asylum seeker left the centre in August 2004: municipalities and their social services have temporarily placed approximately 40 persons (women and their children who can not live in their houses for different reasons). The newspaper notes that the seven asylum seekers who arrived in Latvia allegedly from Somalia in August 2005 are not placed at Mucinieki until their identities are not clarified.

• Newspapers discuss the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law

Newspapers discuss the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law, which will be reviewed by the Committee of the Cabinet of Ministers today.

Newspapers discuss the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law, which will be reviewed by the Committee of the Cabinet of Ministers today. Latvijas Avize prints a comprehensive article by the dr.iur.habil Juris Bojars on the topic. Juris Bojars suggests to include a provision, which stipulates that a person may be deprived Latvian citizenship and expelled from Latvia if the person calls minority students to mass protest actions and protests against national legislation. The author of the article criticises the draft provision of the law, which foresees that a person may be a subject of the ban on the grant of Latvian citizenship if court has ruled that s/he has acted against states independence or its democratic or parliamentarian regime using the anti-constitutional methods. He argues that in ‘any democratic country in such cases there is no need for courts decision and persons naturalisation application would be turned down without courts decision. He believes that Latvia has the most libera; Citizenship Law in Europe. While the Russian-language newspaper Chas criticises attempts to introduce the ‘loyalty concept in the law. The newspaper stresses that there are no clearly defined criteria for the evaluation of persons loyalty. Latvijas Avize, Chas

• Neatkariga Rita Avize reports on case of seven Somalian immigrants
• State Security Police cancel security measure and status of a suspect for two national radicals allegedly accused of incitement to ethnic hatred
• National radicals discuss a possibility to form a party

The State Boarder Guard will invite a translator from Estonia who speaks the Amharic language to question seven refugees from Somalia who arrived in Latvia at the beginning of August. The State Boarder Guard has made an assumption that these persons are not from Somalia but Ethiopia. They argue that Amharic, the language spoken by the seven immigrants, is not wide spoken in Somalia, while it is the state language of Ethiopia. The director of the Department on Refugee Affairs of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) Baiba Bieza states that if the speculations of the Border Guard are true, the chances of these persons to receive asylum in Latvia may diminish.

The State Boarder Guard will invite a translator from Estonia who speaks the Amharic language to question seven refugees from Somalia who arrived in Latvia at the beginning of August. The State Boarder Guard has made an assumption that these persons are not from Somalia but Ethiopia. They argue that Amharic, the language spoken by the seven immigrants, is not wide spoken in Somalia, while it is the state language of Ethiopia. The director of the Department on Refugee Affairs of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) Baiba Bieza states that if the speculations of the Border Guard are true, the chances of these persons to receive asylum in Latvia may diminish. Neatkariga Rita Avize speculates that it may take a year to make a decision in this case. Neatkariga Rita Avize

Yesterday the State Security Police cancelled the security measure and the status of a suspected for the head of the national-radical organisation Latvian National Front Aivars Garda and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper

Yesterday the State Security Police cancelled the security measure and the status of a suspected for the head of the national-radical organisation Latvian National Front Aivars Garda and the editor-in-chief of the newspaper DDD Liga Muzikante. Security measures and the status of a suspect were abolished because the Security Police did not bring charges against these persons in the term provided by legislation. as reported, at the end of July the State Security Police initiated a criminal case against Garda and Muzikante for incitement to ethnic hatred in the articles of the DDD. Latvijas Avize, Chas

Latvijas Avize reports on a meeting of the national-radical organisation Visu Latvijai! Possibilities to form a new national political party were discussed during the meeting.

• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga congratulates the 100,000th naturalised person in Latvia
• MPs from the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia concerned about activities of the State Security Police
• Articles about a possible co-operation between the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools and the foundation ‘The New Eurasia
• Exhibition ‘History and Present of the Minorities in Latvia opened

Yesterday the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga congratulated the 100,000th naturalised person in Latvia Deniss Rostovskis. He is 17 years old. The Naturalisation Board foresees that this year about 18,000 persons could acquire Latvian citizenship. 

Yesterday the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga congratulated the 100,000th naturalised person in Latvia Deniss Rostovskis. He is 17 years old. The Naturalisation Board foresees that this year about 18,000 persons could acquire Latvian citizenship. Diena, Latvijas Vestnesis, Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf

MPs of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) have applied to the Minister of Interior Eriks Jekabsons, asking to provide explanations on recent actions against several MPs and members of the FHRUL taken by the Security Police. The MPs name a number of visits by the State Security Police to the youth summer camp in Luznava, organised by the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools, as one of examples. The MPs also ask the Minister to evaluate whether these actions are in the framework of legal norms.

MPs of the union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) have applied to the Minister of Interior Eriks Jekabsons, asking to provide explanations on recent actions against several MPs and members of the FHRUL taken by the Security Police. The MPs name a number of visits by the State Security Police to the youth summer camp in Luznava, organised by the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools, as one of examples. The MPs also ask the Minister to evaluate whether these actions are in the framework of legal norms. Chas, Telegraf

Newspapers continue to write about the recent statements of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Ainars Latkovskis regarding the possible co-operation etween the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools and the foundation ‘The New Eurasia.’ According to Ainars Latkovskis, the Headquarters hopes that the Headquarters will receive funding in the amount of Ls 140,000 (EUR 199,203) from ‘The New Eurasia.’ However, representatives of the Headquarters provide contradicting information about possible co-operation with the Foundation. A representative of the Headquarters Genadijs Kotovs denies any connection between the Headquarters and the foundation, while another representative of the Headquarters Jurijs Petropavlovskis states that the foundation has offered a possibility to implement an education project for Russian youth. According to Jurijs Petropavlovskis, the Latvian Human Rights Committee, officially registered organisation, and not the Headquarters will apply for funding. ‘It is planned to train approximately 50 young persons, mainly the activists of the Headquarters, if we get the money,’ adds Petropavlovskis.

Newspapers continue to write about the recent statements of the Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration Ainars Latkovskis regarding the possible co-operation etween the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools and the foundation ‘The New Eurasia. According to Ainars Latkovskis, the Headquarters hopes that the Headquarters will receive funding in the amount of Ls140,000 (EUR199,203) from ‘The New Eurasia. However, representatives of the Headquarters provide contradicting information about possible co-operation with the Foundation. A representative of the Headquarters Genadijs Kotovs denies any connection between the Headquarters and the foundation, while another representative of the Headquarters Jurijs Petropavlovskis states that the foundation has offered a possibility to implement an education project for Russian youth. According to Jurijs Petropavlovskis, the Latvian Human Rights Committee, officially registered organisation, and not the Headquarters will apply for funding. ‘It is planned to train approximately 50 young persons, mainly the activists of the Headquarters, if we get the money, adds Petropavlovskis. Latvijas Avize, Chas

The exhibition ‘The History and Present of the Minorities in Latvia’ was opened yesterday in the Saeima.

The exhibition ‘The History and Present of the Minorities in Latvia was opened yesterday in the Saeima. Latvijas Avize, Telegraf