Integration monitor is a daily Latvian press digest on ethnic minority and society integration issues. The Monitor reviews the biggest Latvian dailies: Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga (in Latvian language), Vesti Segodnya (in Russian language). In specific cases other information sources are used. Latvian Centre for Human Rights is not responsible for information published by the media.

Integration and Minority Information Service
of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies

• Commemoration day for the Latvian Legion passes without incidents
• For Human Rights in the United Latviaplans to propose to the European Parliament to grant Russian language status of the official EU language
• Union For Human Rights in the United Latvia about the possible amendments to the law on the European Parliament elections
• State Security police will evaluate appeal, published by the newspaper of the Latvian National Front DDD, for possible incitement to ethnic hatred
• Interview with the Russias State Council deputy speaker Dmitry Rogozin
• President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga on relationship between Russia and Latvia to the French newspaper Le Figaro
• Latvijas Avize on possible ratification of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Latvia
• Article about observation of minority rights in Latvia and the future role of Latvian and Russian languages in the EU
• Russian newspaper Versija names Ainars Slesers and Nils Miznieks as secret organizers of the protest actions against education reform in Latvia

The Commemoration day for the Latvian Legion has passed without incidents. Few hundreds of former legionnaires and their families’ members participated at the memorial service and laid flowers at the Freedom monument. Approximately 60 young people participated in the procession organized by the nationalist youth organization “Klubs 415” (“Club 415”).

The Commemoration day for the Latvian Legion has passed without incidents. Few hundreds of former legionnaires and their families members participated at the memorial service and laid flowers at the Freedom monument. Approximately 60 young people participated in the procession organized by the nationalist youth organization Klubs 415 (Club 415). Diena, Latvijas Avize, Rigas Balss, Vesti Segodnya, Chas, Telegraf

Union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) is planning to propose to the European Parliament to change the language policy in the EU, granting status of official language to EU minority languages, including Russian. According to the leader of the FHRUL Tatjana Zdanoka, status of the Russian language is a cornerstone of the FHRUL policy realized within the EU.  The Union is also intending to form a united EU Russians’ party. Political scientist Zanete Ozolina says it is unlikely that the official status for all minorities’ languages in the enlarged EU will be granted, given that there are already 30 official languages.

Union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) is planning to propose to the European Parliament to change the language policy in the EU, granting status of official language to EU minority languages, including Russian. According to the leader of the FHRUL Tatjana Zdanoka, status of the Russian language is a cornerstone of the FHRUL policy realized within the EU. The Union is also intending to form a united EU Russians party. Political scientist Zanete Ozolina says it is unlikely that the official status for all minorities languages in the enlarged EU will be granted, given that there are already 30 official languages. Diena, Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf

Union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) is planning to challenge the results of the European Parliament (EP) elections, if the amendments to the EP election law, stipulating the prohibition to stand for the EP elections for ex-officials of the State Security Committee of the Soviet Republic of Latvia and those individuals who were members of the Communist Party and related organizations after January 13, 1991, will be adopted. If the amendments to the law were adopted, the prohibition to stand for the EP elections would apply to Juris Bojars and Janis Adamsons, the candidates of Latvia Social Democratic Party and to the leader of the FHRUL Tatjana Zdanoka. The deputy candidate to the EP from FHRUL Miroslavs Mitrofanovs believes that For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM has proposed these amendments in order to provoke disagreement in the governing coalition.

Union For Human Rights in the United Latvia (FHRUL) is planning to challenge the results of the European Parliament (EP) elections, if the amendments to the EP election law, stipulating the prohibition to stand for the EP electionsfor ex-officials of the State Security Committee of the Soviet Republic of Latvia and those individuals who were members of the Communist Party and related organizations after January 13, 1991, will be adopted. If the amendments to the law were adopted, the prohibition to stand for the EP elections would apply to Juris Bojars and Janis Adamsons, the candidates of Latvia Social Democratic Party and to the leader of the FHRUL Tatjana Zdanoka. The deputy candidate to the EP from FHRUL Miroslavs Mitrofanovs believes that For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM has proposed these amendments in order to provoke disagreement in the governing coalition. Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Vesti Segodnya

State Security police will evaluate the appeal, published by the newspaper of the Latvian National Front “DDD”, for the possible incitement to ethnic hatred. The appeal calls for Latvians to ‘follow the example of Azerbaijanis and to send occupants away from Latvia before the bloodshed started’. 

State Security police will evaluate the appeal, published by the newspaper of the Latvian National Front DDD, for the possible incitement to ethnic hatred. The appeal calls for Latvians to ‘follow the example of Azerbaijanis and to send occupants away from Latvia before the bloodshed started. Diena

Vesti Segodnya features an interview with the Russias State Council deputy speaker Dmitry Rogozin about the perspectives of Russia-Latvia relationship. According to Dmitry Rogozin, the foreign policy of Russia will not change, and the defense of the compatriots rights will stay a priority also in the future. Rogozin believes that the only possibility to resolve the situation of the education reform is to start a dialogue with the representatives of the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-language schools.

Latvijas Avize reprints the fragments of the interview with the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga about the relationship between Latvia and Russia and the education reform in Latvia, published by the French newspaper Le Figaro. The President believes that Russias reproofs about minority rights violations in Latvia may be explained by desire to keep Latvia under its guardianship.

Latvijas Avize features an article by the commentator Vilnis Zarins, who says that ratification of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in Latvia cannot be discussed separately from the evaluation of the occupation consequences.

Vesti Segodnya prints an article about the observation of minority rights in Latvia and the future role of Latvian and Russian languages in the EU.

Russian newspaper

Russian newspaper Versija (Version) has spread the information that the protest actions against the education reform in Latvia, including the recent protest action of national-bolsheviks near the embassy of Latvia in Moscow, were organized by the (at that time former) deputy Prime Minister of Latvia Ainars Slesers (Latvias First Party), who wanted to use the language conflict as the means of getting back to power. According to the newspaper, he was assisted by the Special Task Minister for Societal Integration Nils Muiznieks (at that time also former). Deputy Prime Minister of Latvia Ainars Slesers called information ‘invented madness, and refused from further comments. Diena