• Riga City Councils decision to ban all the events on 16 March will be appealed

Newspapers report that organisations and persons who submitted applications to hold events on 16 March are planning to appeal the decision of the Riga City Council to ban all the events in the court. Juris Jansons, recently approved for the post of the Ombudsman, refused to comment the Council’s decision, considering that the decision can be evaluated only after the court’s ruling. The Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, in his turn, stated that 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires) and 9 May (Victory over the Nazi Germany Day) should not be celebrated at all in Latvia because these dates split the society.

Newspapers report that organisations and persons who submitted applications to hold events on 16 March are planning to appeal the decision of the Riga City Council to ban all the events in the court. Juris Jansons, recently approved for the post of the Ombudsman, refused to comment the Councils decision, considering that the decision can be evaluated only after the courts ruling. The Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, in his turn, stated that 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires) and 9 May (Victory over the Nazi Germany Day) should not be celebrated at all in Latvia because these dates split the society. Chas, Telegraf, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

• Riga City Council banned all the events planned to be held on 16 March
• FHRUL does not support referendum on granting official status to Russian language

The Riga City Council banned all the events planned to be held on 16 March – unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. The City Council bases such decision on possible provocations and security considerations.

The Riga City Council banned all the events planned to be held on 16 March – unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires. The City Council bases such decision on possible provocations and security considerations. Vesti Segodnya, Diena

Chas reports that the political party For Human Rights in United Latvia (FHRUL) supports granting official status to Russian language in Latvia, but does not support holding the national referendum on this issue, due to opposite opinions among ethnic Latvian and Russian residents. At the same time, the FHRUL believes that collection of signatures in support of Russian language is well-justified as a response to the campaign conducted by Latvian nationalists against education in Russian language.

• Russian radicals will collect signatures in support of granting official status to Russian language in Latvia
• Ex-Minister of Education Karlis Sadurskis does not support full transition of all state funded schools only to Latvian language
• Minister of Education Rolands Broks: there is no sufficient funding to translate the students competitions in minority languages

Russian radicals established an organisation “Native Language” with an aim to collect signatures in support of granting official status to Russian language in Latvia. Such action is a response to collection of signatures by ethnic Latvian nationalists in support of transition of all state funded schools to instruction only in Latvian.

Russian radicals established an organisation Native Language with an aim to collect signatures in support of granting official status to Russian language in Latvia. Such action is a response to collection of signatures by ethnic Latvian nationalists in support of transition of all state funded schools to instruction only in Latvian. Chas, Vesti Segodnya

Ex-Minister of Education Karlis Sadurskis (who headed the Ministry during the implementation of minorities’ school reform in 2004) does not support full transition of all state funded schools to instruction only in Latvian language. Mr. Sadurskis believes that Latvian language proficiency of graduates of Russian language schools sufficiently improved after transition to bilingual education.

Ex-Minister of Education Karlis Sadurskis (who headed the Ministry during the implementation of minorities school reform in 2004) does not support full transition of all state funded schools to instruction only in Latvian language. Mr. Sadurskis believes that Latvian language proficiency of graduates of Russian language schools sufficiently improved after transition to bilingual education. Vesti Segodnya

The Minister of Education Rolands Broks replied to a request of the Concord Centre explaining why the students’ competitions on schools subjects will be conducted only in Latvian language for students of all schools. According to the Minister, Latvian students study in eight minority languages – Hebrew, Polish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Roma and Russian – and there is no sufficient funding to translate the competitions in all these languages. The Minister notes that participation in the competitions is voluntary and, besides that, students has right to reply the questions in Russian or Latvian or municipalities can provide partial translation of tasks. Thus, the Minister believes that principles of bilingual education are not violated. Newspaper

The Minister of Education Rolands Broks replied to a request of the Concord Centre explaining why the students competitions on schools subjects will be conducted only in Latvian language for students of all schools. According to the Minister, Latvian students study in eight minority languages – Hebrew, Polish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Roma and Russian – and there is no sufficient funding to translate the competitions in all these languages. The Minister notes that participation in the competitions is voluntary and, besides that, students has right to reply the questions in Russian or Latvian or municipalities can provide partial translation of tasks. Thus, the Minister believes that principles of bilingual education are not violated. Newspaper Vesti Segodnya notes that 73% of students study in Latvian, 26% in Russian and only 1% in other languages.

• Radical organisation Ethnic Latvian sells a book Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
• Young communists warn about terror acts on 16 March
• Experts interviewed by Diena do not support transition of all schools into Latvian language
• Society Unity Award presented to a NGO Northern Gull

Vesti Segodnya reports that a radical organisation Ethnic Latvian (Latvietis – in Latvian) sells a book Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. The organisations web site states that there is a feeling that the books author lives now and describes all what happens presently in Latvia and in the world.

Editorial office of the newspaper

Editorial office of the newspaper Vesti Segodnya received a note by mail with warning about terror acts on 16 March signed by young communists. The note says young communists take responsibility for blasting the fascists on 16March. The newspaper forwarded the note to the Security Police. 16 March is un-official day of commemoration of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires and their supporters traditionally hold processions in the centre of Riga. According to Vesti Segodnya, since 2000, the young communists have claimed responsibility for several small explosions in Latvia which so far caused no harm to human life, while all their notes mentioned that the young communists are fighting for anti-fascists and Red Armys veterans.

Experts interviewed by

Experts interviewed by Diena do not support transition of all schools into Latvian language and believe that such reform would harm quality of education and destroy basics of bilingual education. Experts believe that Latvian language should be strengthened in other ways.

The Society Integration Foundation presented the Society Unity Award to a NGO “Northern Gull” for investment in promotion of integration and tolerance. The NGO has brought together about 1,500 ethnic minorities’ and ethnic Latvian kids involving them in various educational activities.

The Society Integration Foundation presented the Society Unity Award to a NGO Northern Gull for investment in promotion of integration and tolerance. The NGO has brought together about 1,500 ethnic minorities and ethnic Latvian kids involving them in various educational activities. Latvijas Avize

• Juris Jansons elected for the post of the Ombudsman
• State Border Guard Service: immigrants from the North African countries do not arrive to Latvia yet
• Russian language newspapers discuss proposals regarding education

The Saeima elected Juris Jansons for the post of the Ombudsman. As reported, Mr Jansons is a lawyer and currently occupies the post of the liquidator of the health insurance holding company “Rigas Slimokase”. Mr Jansons was appointed for the candidate to the Ombudsman’s post by the oppositional party the Concord Centre and also got support by the member of coalition Union of Greens and Farmers.

The Saeima elected Juris Jansons for the post of the Ombudsman. As reported, Mr Jansons is a lawyer and currently occupies the post of the liquidator of the health insurance holding company Rigas Slimokase. Mr Jansons was appointed for the candidate to the Ombudsmans post by the oppositional party the Concord Centre and also got support by the member of coalition Union of Greens and Farmers. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga

According to the State Border Guard Service, there is no influx of migrants from the North African countries forced to flee the uprisings. Head of the Latvian Office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Ilmars Mezs believes that only individual immigrants from these countries might come because geographically it is not easy to travel to Latvia.

According to the State Border Guard Service, there is no influx of migrants from the North African countries forced to flee the uprisings. Head of the Latvian Office of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Ilmars Mezs believes that only individual immigrants from these countries might come because geographically it is not easy to travel to Latvia. Diena

Newspapers discuss potential of the referendum proposed by the radical nationalists, who envisage that staring from 1 September 2012 the state finances school education only in the state language. According to the newspaper

Newspapers discuss potential of the referendum proposed by the radical nationalists, who envisage that staring from 1 September 2012 the state finances school education only in the state language. According to the newspaper Vesti Segodnya, the initiative to transfer all state funded schools only to Latvian language might provoke protests much larger than those in 2004 (against transition of ethnic minorities schools into bilingual in proportion 60/40 - Latvian/minorities language). Chas prints an article by ex-MP Vladimirs Buzajevs (FHRUL) who believes that, despite all the problems which are faced by students and schools, demand for Russian schools still exists and those should be protected. 2012 is also marked by introduction of single Latvian language exam for all schools, which potentially could disadvantage graduates of schools with Russian language instruction, because exam results are used for entering universities. On the other hand, introduction of single standard exam puts into doubt existing differences in treatment of graduates, such as automatic eligibility for residence permit and citizenship only for graduates of Latvian language schools and restrictions on access to the labour market for graduates of Russian language schools depending on results of Latvian language exam.