• Vesti Segodnya reports about the Amnesty International Report 2009 State of the Worlds Human Rights
• All for Latvia! launched a new campaign For ethnic Latvian Riga!
• Coalition parties refused revision of the Citizenship Law before the elections

Vesti Segodnya and NRA report about the Amnesty International Report 2009 State of the Worlds Human Rights. According to the report, nearly 400,000 residents of Latvia are still non-citizens and are exposed to various kinds of discrimination. Roma citizens and visible minority migrants face mounting racist violence, leaving them under constant fear of attacks. In the meantime, the law enforcement officials tend to prosecute racist aggression as acts of hooliganism or vandalism, disregarding the racial connotations of the crime. According to the report, there is also lack of comprehensive national legislation dealing with all forms of discrimination in Latvia.

Read the Amnesty International Report 2009: http://thereport.amnesty.org/

Ethnic Latvian nationalistic party “All for Latvia!” launched a new campaign “For ethnic Latvian Riga!” The supporters of the campaign should decorate their cars, bicycles or motorcycles with ribbon of colour of Latvian flag.

Ethnic Latvian nationalistic party All for Latvia! launched a new campaign For ethnic Latvian Riga! The supporters of the campaign should decorate their cars, bicycles or motorcycles with ribbon of colour of Latvian flag. Vesti Segodnya

Yesterday, at the extraordinary meeting, co-operation council of coalition parties withdrew the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law from the draft amendments package supporting the state budget amendments. The coalition parties considered that revision of the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law few days before the elections would provoke long political discussions and manipulations by some parties. The draft amendments to the Citizenship Law elaborated by the Ministry of Justice stipulated extension of naturalisation terms up to 1,5 years in order to save LVL 240,000 (EUR 341,489) from the Naturalisation Board funds.

Yesterday, at the extraordinary meeting, co-operation council of coalition parties withdrew the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law from the draft amendments package supporting the state budget amendments. The coalition parties considered that revision of the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law few days before the elections would provoke long political discussions and manipulations by some parties. The draft amendments to the Citizenship Law elaborated by the Ministry of Justice stipulated extension of naturalisation terms up to 1,5 years in order to save LVL 240,000 (EUR 341,489) from the Naturalisation Board funds. NRA

• Members of the ethnic Latvian radical organisation Latvian National Front Liene Apine and Liga Muzikante turned to the Security Police with application about incitement to ethnic hatred
• Russian Community in Latvia: removal of Russian speaking residents from the state sector is one of the causes of deep economical crisis in Latvia

Members of the ethnic Latvian radical organisation “Latvian National Front” Liene Apine and Liga Muzikante turned to the Security Police with application about incitement to ethnic hatred. The applicants consider that comments to their photos from 9 May events placed on one of the social networking websites incite to ethnic hatred. On the photos the applicants are seen laying flowers with crape beneath the Monument for Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders during celebrations of Victory day on 9 May in Riga.

Members of the ethnic Latvian radical organisation Latvian National Front Liene Apine and Liga Muzikante turned to the Security Police with application about incitement to ethnic hatred. The applicants consider that comments to their photos from 9 May events placed on one of the social networking websites incite to ethnic hatred. On the photos the applicants are seen laying flowers with crape beneath the Monument for Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders during celebrations of Victory day on 9 May in Riga. Chas, Telegraf

NGO Russian Community in Latvia (RCL) held its conference discussing causes of deep economical crisis in Latvia. Participants of the conference concluded that one of the reasons the crisis has such a strong effects on Latvia is the policy of removal of Russian speaking residents from the state sector and decision making process. The RCL also called on the political parties which position them selves as defenders of Russians’ rights to co-operate with each other.

NGO Russian Community in Latvia (RCL) held its conference discussing causes of deep economical crisis in Latvia. Participants of the conference concluded that one of the reasons the crisis has such a strong effects on Latvia is the policy of removal of Russian speaking residents from the state sector and decision making process. The RCL also called on the political parties which position them selves as defenders of Russians rights to co-operate with each other. Vesti Segodnya

• Chas reports about an 84-year-old woman who has to pass state language proficiency test in order to receive permanent residence permit
• Deputy of the Jurmala City Council Janis Kuzins: a group of persons intentionally damages cars decorated with St. George ribbons in the city
• Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council Europe Tomas Hammarberg promised to help to open first grade Russian class in Tukums
• Latvijas Avize reports about a seminar on the impact of Russian information space on the Baltic States

Chas reports about an 84-year-old woman who lives in Latvia for several years and in order to receive permanent residence permit she has to pass the state language proficiency test. The woman has only temporary residence permit which does not provide her social insurance. Despite her age, the woman went to Latvian language courses and passed the examination. However, the state language proficiency level she received is not high enough to receive the permanent residence permit. Representative of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) in an interview with the newspaper stated that work on draft regulations aimed at easier examination process for several groups of people is stopped. The representative of the OCMA also considers that such regulations which would ease state language requirements for old people could be considered as discrimination.

According to the Deputy of the Jurmala City Council Janis Kuzins, unknown persons damaged his personal car which was decorated with St. George ribbon (used as commemoration of victory in WWII). Mr. Kuzins also considers that there is a group of persons who intentionally damages cars decorated with St. George ribbons in Jurmala. However, the police do not confirm the fact.

According to the Deputy of the Jurmala City Council Janis Kuzins, unknown persons damaged his personal car which was decorated with St. George ribbon (used as commemoration of victory in WWII). Mr. Kuzins also considers that there is a group of persons who intentionally damages cars decorated with St. George ribbons in Jurmala. However, the police do not confirm the fact. Chas, Telegraf, Latvijas Avize

Vesti Segodnya reports that parents of children who were refused to be accepted into the first grade class with Russian language of instructions in Tukums 3rd secondary school turned to the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council Europe Tomas Hammarberg. The parents asked the Commissioner to help them in opening of the Russian language class because there are no other Russian first grade classes in Tukums. According to the newspaper, the Commissioner promised to help in this situation. As reported, Tukums City Council refused to grant funding for new school year for the first grade class with Russian language of instructions in the only school in the city with Russian language classes despite the fact that there were 14 children enlisted to attend the class.

Latvijas Avize reports about a seminar held by the Eastern Europe Policy Research Centre on the impact of Russian information space on Baltic States. According to the seminar participants, active Russias policy regarding Russian compatriots abroad and growing impact of Russian mass media in Latvia promotes self-sufficiency of Russian language and hinders unity of Latvian society.

• Latvijas Avize reports about a study Languages in the Eastern Part of Latvia

Latvijas Avize reports about a study Languages in the Eastern Part of Latvia conducted by the Rezekne Higher Education Institution. According to the study, 46,7% of residents of Eastern Latvia feel their belonging to Latvian language, 29,3% to Russian language, 21,1% to Latgalian language, 0,4% to Polish language and 0,2% to Belarusian language. At the same time, 40,7% of residents feel their belonging to ethnic Latvian identity, 25,9% to Russian, 27% to Latgalian, 1,5% to Polish and 3,5% to Belarusian.

• Political scientist Kristians Rozenvalds: ethnic Latvians should become tolerant towards celebrations of 9 May
• Study: emigration is perceived positively in Latvia, while, immigration – negatively

Political scientist Kristians Rozenvalds in an interview with

Political scientist Kristians Rozenvalds in an interview with Vesti Segodnya states that in order to decrease confrontation between ethnic Latvians and Russian speaking residents, ethnic Latvians should become tolerant towards celebrations of 9 May (Victory Day). Mr. Rozenvalds believes that Russian and ethnic Latvian residents need a common ideology for successful integration. Vesti Segodnya

According to a study on impact of migration on Latvian national economy held by “The Centre of Economy Predictions”, emigration is perceived positively in Latvia, while, immigration – negatively. The authors of the study consider that Latvia should promote immigration in order to solve bad demographic situation instead of attempting to decrease emigration.

According to a study on impact of migration on Latvian national economy held by The Centre of Economy Predictions, emigration is perceived positively in Latvia, while, immigration – negatively. The authors of the study consider that Latvia should promote immigration in order to solve bad demographic situation instead of attempting to decrease emigration. Latvijas Avize