• Members of youth organisations of political parties will held a common discussion on issues concerning non-citizens, citizenship and naturalisation

Vesti Segodnya reports that members of youth organisations of political parties Concord Centre, New Era, Civic Union and perhaps All for Latvia! will held a common discussion on issues concerning non-citizens, citizenship and naturalisation. Independent experts also will take part in the discussion informing about history of non-citizenship in Latvia and status of non-citizens.

• Chas prints an article about problems regarding implementation of dual citizenship in Latvia
• Cabinet of Ministers accepted new rules which allow to extend winter holidays until Orthodox Christmas
• MP Juris Dobelis: common values for all Latvian residents and Latvian language will change whole situation in Latvia
• Self-declared publisher of the list of occupants stated he aimed to effectively inform about occupation of Latvia
• 493 persons resettled from Latvia to Russia in 2009

Chas prints an article about problems regarding implementation of dual citizenship in Latvia. According to the newspaper, the Constitutional Court is about to evaluate a case on prohibition to receive Latvian citizenship by registration without renouncing ones foreign citizenship. Another case to be submitted to the Court soon concerns deprivation of Latvian citizenship to a person who accepted citizenship of other country. Experts interviewed by the newspaper consider that Latvian legal acts regarding citizenship lag behind modern situation which is characterized by open labour market. Latvian authorities struggle to come to a common position on amendments to the Citizenship Law due to large number of non-citizens in the country and concerns that if dual citizenship was allowed many residents will choose Russian citizenship as a second citizenship.

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Cabinet of Ministers accepted new rules which allow municipalities, in agreement with school administrations, to extend winter holidays until Orthodox Christmas or 7 January.

MP Juris Dobelis (FF/LNIM) believes that establishment of common values for all Latvian residents and teaching Latvian language to Russian speakers will help to eliminate ethnic division and change whole situation in Latvia.

MP Juris Dobelis (FF/LNIM) believes that establishment of common values for all Latvian residents and teaching Latvian language to Russian speakers will help to eliminate ethnic division and change whole situation in Latvia. Vesti Segodnya

Telegraf reports that a self-proclaimed publisher of the list of occupants stated he aimed to effectively inform about occupation of Latvia and Stalins repression against Latvians. The person published such statement on an Internet forum latviansonline.com. As reported, one of the nationalistic Internet sites published the list with personal data (names, personal codes, addresses etc.) of owners of cars decorated with Russian symbols.

493 persons resettled from Latvia to Russia in 2009. According to the Russian Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov, number of persons interested in resettlement grew threefold and more than 4,700 persons received information in the Embassy about resettlement to Russia.

493 persons resettled from Latvia to Russia in 2009. According to the Russian Ambassador to Latvia Aleksandr Veshnyakov, number of persons interested in resettlement grew threefold and more than 4,700 persons received information in the Embassy about resettlement to Russia. Telegraf

• President Valdis Zatlers: visit to Moscow on 9 May will promote concord and unity in Latvian society

The President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers believes that his visit to Moscow on celebrations of Victory Day on 9 May will promote concord and unity in Latvian society and also improve relations between Latvia and Russia. As reported, Mr. Zatlers accepted invitation of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to take part in the celebrations in Moscow.

The President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers believes that his visit to Moscow on celebrations of Victory Day on 9 May will promote concord and unity in Latvian society and also improve relations between Latvia and Russia. As reported, Mr. Zatlers accepted invitation of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to take part in the celebrations in Moscow. Latvijas Avize, Diena

• Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris: publication of personal data of persons who decorated their cars with Russian symbols on the Internet is aimed at incitement to ethnic hatred
• Vesti Segodnya prints opinion of representatives of Russian NGOs in Latvia about tendency to decorate cars with Russian symbols in Latvia
• Member of the political party New Era Dans Titavs: Russian speaking residents should be attracted to the government

Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris in an interview with

Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris in an interview with Telegraf states that publication of personal data of persons who decorated their cars with Russian symbols on the Internet is aimed at incitement to ethnic hatred. Mrs. Brands Kehris considers that it is difficult to determine whether the publication represents an incitement to ethnic hatred in the legal sense, despite the fact that the meaning of the term occupant is evident in this particular case and that it is clear that the publication is aimed to discriminate individuals included into the list of occupants and incite ethnic hatred. In the meantime, the Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance Nils Muiznieks believes that publication of the list is not incitement to ethnic hatred because it does not call for discrimination or violence.

Vesti Segodnya prints opinion of representatives of Russian NGOs in Latvia about tendency to decorate cars with Russian symbols in Latvia. Majority of interviewed persons does not support such manifestation and believes that it is a way of protest of ethnic Russian residents against policy of Latvian politicians which alienated them from Latvian state. Other representatives do not see anything wrong in this kind of manifestation believing that in such way people show their sympathy towards Russia.

Member of the political party New Era Dans Titavs  (ex-adviser of ex-Prime Minister Einars Repse) stated that Russian speaking residents should be attracted to the government and confrontation between ethnic Latvians and Russians should be ended. According to Mr. Titavs, ethnic Latvian parties are afraid to address to Russian speaking because it might scare away a part of ethnic Latvian electorate.

Member of the political party New Era Dans Titavs (ex-adviser of ex-Prime Minister Einars Repse) stated that Russian speaking residents should be attracted to the government and confrontation between ethnic Latvians and Russians should be ended. According to Mr. Titavs, ethnic Latvian parties are afraid to address to Russian speaking because it might scare away a part of ethnic Latvian electorate. Chas

 

• President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers accepted invitation to visit celebrations of Victorys Day in Moscow on 9 May
• Saeimas Education, Science and Culture Committee supported a proposal to allow defending a doctoral thesis only in official EU languages
• Security Police will decide whether to initiate criminal case on incitement to ethnic hatred against the persons who published the list of occupants

The President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers accepted invitation of the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to visit celebrations of Victory’s Day in Moscow on 9 May. Mr. Zatlers received the invitation yesterday personally from Mr. Putin during their meeting held in the framework of the summit of leaders of Baltic countries in Helsinki.

The President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers accepted invitation of the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to visit celebrations of Victorys Day in Moscow on 9 May. Mr. Zatlers received the invitation yesterday personally from Mr. Putin during their meeting held in the framework of the summit of leaders of Baltic countries in Helsinki. Telegraf, Diena

Members of the Saeima’s Education, Science and Culture Committee supported a proposal to allow defending a doctoral thesis only in official EU languages. Presently, it is possible to defend doctor’s thesis in foreign languages including Russian.

Members of the Saeimas Education, Science and Culture Committee supported a proposal to allow defending a doctoral thesis only in official EU languages. Presently, it is possible to defend doctors thesis in foreign languages including Russian. Vesti Segodnya

The Security Police will decide within the next 30 days whether to initiate criminal proceedings on incitement to ethnic hatred against the persons who published on the Internet a list with personal data of owners of cars decorated with Russian symbols. The General Prosecutor’s Office will decide today about initiation of criminal case on disclosure of personal data.

The Security Police will decide within the next 30 days whether to initiate criminal proceedings on incitement to ethnic hatred against the persons who published on the Internet a list with personal data of owners of cars decorated with Russian symbols. The General Prosecutors Office will decide today about initiation of criminal case on disclosure of personal data. Telegraf