• Parents who do not want to Latvianise name of their child are not able to register the child as Latvian citizen and to receive birth certificate

Vesti Segodnya reports about a case when parents – Latvian mother and Portuguese father living in Latvia – are not able to register their child as Latvian citizen and to receive birth certificate because they do not want to Latvianise name of the child. The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs argues that the name in documents should be spelled in accordance with Latvian grammar, while, parents consider that Latvianisation of the name distorts the name they choosefor the child.

• Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the member of Muslim Community in Latvia
• Leader of the Youth Party Janis Kuzins submitted a claim to the Constitutional Court of Latvia asking to cancel prohibition for Latvian non-citizens to vote in the municipal elections

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the member of Muslim Community in Latvia Omar Abu Safi (ethnic Latvian who adopted Islam). Mr. Abu Safi considers that recently adopted amendments to the Law on Protection of Animals which allow slaughter of animals in a way of ritual cut or Halal method will not affect life of Muslims in positive or negative way because the Muslims living in Latvia slaughtered animals in Halal way also before the adoption of the amendments. Mr. Abi Safi also believes that in the future there will be many more Muslims in Latvia and they will use their rights to demand for establishment of Sharia in the country. Latvijas Avize (22 September)

Leader of the Youth Party Janis Kuzins submitted a claim to the Constitutional Court of Latvia asking to cancel prohibition for Latvian non-citizens to vote in the municipal elections. Mr. Kuzins considers that this norm is discriminatory and contradicts Latvian Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Leader of the Youth Party Janis Kuzins submitted a claim to the Constitutional Court of Latvia asking to cancel prohibition for Latvian non-citizens to vote in the municipal elections. Mr. Kuzins considers that this norm is discriminatory and contradicts Latvian Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Vesti Segodnya

• Chas prints an article about illegal migrants crossing Latvian border
• NGO Prata Speks launched free-of-charge Latvian language courses for the eighth year

Chas prints an article about illegal migrants crossing Latvian border. According to a representative of the State Border Guard Service, Latvia has the highest percentage of detention of persons who illegally enter the country among the Baltic States. In 2009, there were 23 incidents of detentions of persons illegally crossing the border with Russia and Belarus. Representative of the Ministry of Interior states that the State Border Guard Service ensures control only on external Schengen borders, while, on internal borders with Lithuania and Estonia the intensive control is hindered due to the shortage of funding.

Vesti Segodnya reports that the NGO Prata Speks launched free-of-charge Latvian language courses for the eighth year. According to the head of the NGO Igors Kuzmuks, there is large number of people who come to the courses willing to learn Latvian with an aim to feel more comfortably in the society and to pass naturalisation exams.

• Naturalisation rate continues to fall
• Telegraf reports about a meeting of organisations representing Russian speaking minorities in Europe

According to

According to Vesti Segodnya, the rate of naturalisation in Latvia has decreased so significantly, that now it matches the rate of naturalisation in 1996. Since the beginning of 2009, Latvian citizenship was granted only to 1,386 persons. In 2008, citizenship was granted to 3,004 persons, while at the peak of naturalisation in 2005, 19,169 persons received Latvian citizenship trough naturalisation.

Telegraf reports about a meeting of organisations representing Russian speaking minorities in France, Spain, Cyprus and Latvia (represented by the newspaper Telegraf). The organisations, in the framework of the European program Grundtvig, conduct survey of Russian speaking residents in Europe with an aim to compose an image of Russian European resident. During the visit representatives of the organisations met with the MPs, the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs and academicians.

• 21 Russian language NGOs call to revise regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers which recently increased state language proficiency requirements in employment
• Council of Latvias NGOs calls the ECHR to evaluate the case of Kononov on legal, not historical grounds

21 Russian language NGOs sent an appeal to the President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers and the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis asking to revise new regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on state language proficiency requirements for certain professions and occupations. The new regulations (entered into force on 1 September 2009) considerably widened the list of professions which require various levels of state language proficiency and raised requirements for professions that were required various levels of state language proficiency under previous regulations. The NGOs highlight that the level of unemployment is higher among ethnic minorities and consider that the new regulations might lead to their further exclusion from the labour market. The NGOs propose to reduce the recent additions to the list of professions and occupations which require language proficiency; to lower Latvian language proficiency requirements for applicants for permanent residency; and to cancel state language requirements for deputies of municipal councils.

21 Russian language NGOs sent an appeal to the President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers and the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis asking to revise new regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on state language proficiency requirements for certain professions and occupations. The new regulations (entered into force on 1 September 2009) considerably widened the list of professions which require various levels of state language proficiency and raised requirements for professions that were required various levels of state language proficiency under previous regulations. The NGOs highlight that the level of unemployment is higher among ethnic minorities and consider that the new regulations might lead to their further exclusion from the labour market. The NGOs propose to reduce the recent additions to the list of professions and occupations which require language proficiency; to lower Latvian language proficiency requirements for applicants for permanent residency; and to cancel state language requirements for deputies of municipal councils. Vesti Segodnya

Council of Latvia’s NGOs, representing 50 organisations, addressed Jean Paul Costa, the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with an open letter, calling the ECHR to evaluate the case of Kononov vs. Latvia on legal, not historical grounds. The authors of the letter believe that the last decision of the ECHR was fair and just, and see attempts to consider the case on historical grounds as an attempt to punish those who fought on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition and to justify those who fought on the side of Hitler’s Germany.

Council of Latvias NGOs, representing 50 organisations, addressed Jean Paul Costa, the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with an open letter, calling the ECHR to evaluate the case of Kononov vs. Latvia on legal, not historical grounds. The authors of the letter believe that the last decision of the ECHR was fair and just, and see attempts to consider the case on historical grounds as an attempt to punish those who fought on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition and to justify those who fought on the side of Hitlers Germany. Vesti Segodnya