• Vesti Segodnya interviews candidates to the Parliament of Unrepresented

Vesti Segodnya interviews candidates to the Parliament of Unrepresented initiated by the Congress of Non-citizens. According to them, it is important to raise awareness about problem of non-citizenship in Latvia more actively on international level and to find supporters among different organisations and states, as well as among the citizens. It is necessary to abolish all the legal acts and declarations adopted on the basis of the thesis of occupation of Latvia and continuity of Latvian Republic from 1918 to 1991 because it has no foundation in history and international law. The candidates to the Parliament also want to establish a court of unrepresented which will look at the cases concerning ethnic issues, and the ombudsman of unrepresented who would defend the rights of those, whose ethnic rights are violated. In order to safeguard Latvia's sovereignty and ensure its prosperity, the current system of ethnic hierarchy should be abolished. The candidates also want to co-operate closely with local governments and different state institutions especially those which work on education issues. Latvia should grant voting rights to non-citizens in municipal elections, according to 12 recommendations of international organisations. According to the candidates, naturalisation procedure for non-citizens and for immigrants should be different, while the model of Latvian state nation should include ethnic Latvians, Latgalians, Russians and ethnic minorities. The candidates also argue for greater citizen awareness and participation, for the restoration of the real mechanism of direct democracy, as well as for the establishment of a commission of historians, whose aim would be to highlight positive aspects of Latvian history, instead of cultivating the past grievances.

• Newspapers report about the Annual Report 2012 of the Security Police
• Radical nationalists discuss demolition of the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders

Newspapers report about the Annual Report 2012 of the Security Police (SP). The SP highlights influence of Russian policy aimed at work with Russian speaking residents as it sometimes contradicts Latvian national and security interests. According to the Report, Russia began to pay more attention to work with young people strengthening ties between students from both countries and different organisations. The SP believes that such activities are aimed at educating in young people values and views alien to Latvian ideology and formation of Russian speaking residents loyal towards Russia. The Report also highlights growth of the number of cases on incitement to ethnic hatred on the Internet. According to the SP, the most often incitement to hatred is addressed to ethnic Russians or ethnic Latvians in online discussions on internet news portals regarding such sensitive issues as citizenship, naturalisation, language, history, WWII, ethnic minority rights etc. The SP considers that aggression of the Internet users is used by certain organisations, movements, mass media who are interested in supporting ideological contradictions and ethnic tensions. According to the assessment of the SP, the threat of terrorism in Latvia is low at the moment, as well as in the foreseeable future. At the same time, the SP draws attention to a visit of the representatives of a controversial Muslim organisation “Tabligh Jamaat” to Latvia and points out that their future visits might provoke radicalisation and intolerance in the society.  Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

 

Vesti Segodnya reports about a discussion organised by the radical nationalists’ party “All for Latvia!-FF/LNIM” about the demolition of the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders. The nationalists believe that the Monument should be demolished and the cleared square should become an entertainment park. At the same time, the nationalists admit that they do not have possibility to demolish the Monument legally, therefore, it is important to prepare the society for such action. And as the first step, the nationalists propose to create an exhibition near the Monument telling about communists’ crimes and repressions.

• Neatkariga prints an interview with the judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, head of the President’s Constitution’s Rights Committee Egils Levits
• Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis: no dialogue will be possible with the Congress of Non-Citizens if it does not acknowledge the basic principles of Latvian state

Neatkariga prints an interview with the judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, head of the President’s Constitution’s Rights Committee Egils Levits. Mr Levits believes that ethnic Latvians are the state nation of Latvia and all its residents should understand that Latvia is a national state as well as France, Sweden or Denmark. Mr Levits says that Russian speaking residents in Latvia and Estonia are the only two Russian communities in the world which do not want to accept countries where they live as national states. Mr Levits believes that a part of ex-Soviet citizens painfully perceives the fact that Latvia is not a part of the USSR anymore but is democratic and ethnic Latvian state. According to Mr Levits, people who arrived to Latvia during Soviet times after restoration of Latvia’s Independence were granted very high legal status (status of non-citizens) giving them privileges comparing to foreigners. Mr Levits also considers that the preamble to the Latvia’s Constitutions should contain the milestones of Latvian state with an aim to strengthen state and sense of belonging to the state.

In an interview with Latvijas Avize, commenting the establishment of the Congress of Non-Citizens, the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis states that no dialogue will be possible with the Congress if it does not acknowledge the principle of continuity of Latvian state. According to Mr Dombrovskis if the Congress supports automatic granting of Latvian citizenship to all non-citizens that means that it does not support basic principles of Latvian state.

 

• 61 candidates stand for 30 places in the Parliament of Unrepresented (non-citizens)

• Plans of the candidate to the post of the Mayor of Riga Baiba Broka to transfer all kindergartens in Riga into Latvian language got criticised

 A movement Congress of Non-citizens began its election campaign to the Parliament of Unrepresented. 61 candidates stand for 30 places in the Parliament of Unrepresented. 39 of candidates are non-citizens, the rest of candidates are Latvian citizens. As reported, the Congress of Non-citizens wants to establish the Parliament which will represent non-citizens on different levels. Latvijas Avize

 The vice-chairman of the Committee on Social Affairs of the Riga City Council Irina Vinnika (party “Honour to Serve Riga) criticizes plans of a candidate to the post of the Mayor of Riga Baiba Broka (nationalists’ union All for Latvia-FF/LNIM) to transfer all kindergartens in Riga into Latvian language only. According to Mrs Vinnika, the content of the pre-schools education is regulated by the Law on Education and the rules of the Cabinet of Ministers and municipal council has no rights to change those. Vesti Segodnya

•  MPs discussed the notion of political nation in Latvia

• Vesti Segodnya interviews academic Juris Rozenvalds about 9 May

Vesti Segodnya reports on a discussion about a united political nation held in the Saeima. The MPs, academics and journalists took part in the discussion. According to a Judge of the European Court of Justice Egils Levits, Latvian nation consists of three components: Latvian language as the main communication language, dominating Latvian culture, and common social memory. Mr Levits noted that ethnic belonging of members of such Latvian nation is irrelevant. Academic Leo Dribins did not agree that culture should unite everyone because citizens can belong to different cultures but still be patriots of the state. The MP Irina Cvetkova (Concord Centre), in her turn, argued that political nation is irrelevant not only of ethnic belonging but also of the native language. Advisor of the Prime Minister on integration issues Sarmite Elerte stated that the social memory is the main factor of split in the society.

Vesti Segodnya interviews academic Juris Rozenvalds about the attitude of different groups of the society towards 9 May (the end of the WWII or the Victory Day celebrated during Soviet era and nowadays in many former Soviet Union republics as well as by majority of Russian speaking residents in Latvia). Mr Rozenvalds believes that for many Russian speakers 9 May is not just a celebration but a desire to show the governing authorities that “we are here, we are many, and we must be taken into account.” Thus, the message of 9 May celebrations is similar to the referendum on the status of Russian language in Latvia as many of the people who voted for the proposal made it with an aim to draw attention of authorities and to be heard. However, Mr Rozenvals believes the governing authorities do not have enough professionalism to understand this message.