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.

• For Human Rights in the United Latvia parliamentary group cannotdemand resignation of the government due to the lack of collected signatures
• Saeima decides to make the content of the State Security Committees of the Soviet Republic of Latvia former agents files public
• Draft statement about the status of Russian language in the EU
• Latvia refuses entry visa to Russian diplomat Mikhail Demurin
• Former Prime Minister Einars Repse about performance of the present government
• Riga Central Court imposes an 80 lats fine on Riga City Council deputy for organizing unapproved meetings against the education reform
• Experts discuss possibilities of penalizing organizers of the unapproved protest actions
• Interview with the head of parliamentary group For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM Maris Grinblats about society integration
• Representatives of Peoples Harmony Partys parliamentary group discuss security issues pertaining to the protest actions against the education reform with the Minister for Interior Eriks Jekabsons

Parliamentary group For Human Rights in the United Latvia has not submitted a note demanding resignation of the government because, according to the statement of the head of the group Jakovs Pliners, he succeeded to collect only six MPs’ signatures, while 10 signatures are necessary for initiation of the vote of confidence to the government.

Parliamentary group For Human Rights in the United Latvia has not submitted a note demanding resignation of the government because, according to the statement of the head of the group Jakovs Pliners, he succeeded to collect only six MPs signatures, while 10 signatures are necessary for initiation of the vote of confidence to the government. Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Rigas Balss

Yesterday Saeima decided to make content of the State Security Committee’s of the Soviet Republic of Latvia former agents’ files publicly available, at the same time  stipulating prohibition for those persons to hold state administration offices for the next 10 years. As this decision was made rather in a hurry, Latvian parliamentarians, unlike parliamentarians in some other post-communism states, have not prescribed a procedure for making the files public and have not foreseen a lustration period, during which people could voluntarily confess and therefore protect their name from being announced publicly.

Yesterday Saeima decided to make content of the State Security Committees of the Soviet Republic of Latvia former agents files publicly available, at the same time stipulating prohibition for those persons to hold state administration offices for the next 10 years. As this decision was made rather in a hurry, Latvian parliamentarians, unlike parliamentarians in some other post-communism states, have not prescribed a procedure for making the files public and have not foreseen a lustration period, during which people could voluntarily confess and therefore protect their name from being announced publicly. Diena, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Rigas Balss, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Chas, Telegraf

Russian minority representatives from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, who are standing for the European Parliament elections, have prepared a draft statement stipulating the recognition of the Russian language as one of the largest minorities’ languages in the EU, making it  a EU working language alongside with the Turkish, Hebrew, Arabian and Roma languages. The draft statement also says that representatives of the Baltic Russian minority are ready to defend the secondary and higher education in Russian language, and to promote its development.

Russian minority representatives from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, who are standing for the European Parliament elections, have prepared a draft statement stipulating the recognition of the Russian language as one of the largest minorities languages in the EU, making it a EU working language alongside with the Turkish, Hebrew, Arabian and Roma languages. The draft statement also says that representatives of the Baltic Russian minority are ready to defend the secondary and higher education in Russian language, and to promote its development. Diena, Latvijas Avize

Latvia has refused an entry visa to the Russian diplomat Michael Demurin, who was planning to participate in the conference “Baltics and Russia in the 21

Latvia has refused an entry visa to the Russian diplomat Michael Demurin, who was planning to participate in the conference Baltics and Russia in the 21st Century Europe, organized by the Baltic Forum this weekend. Although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not disclose the reasons for the refusal, mass media inform that most likely the name of the Russian diplomat, who was expelled from Estonia due to the espionage last February, had been included in the list of persons who are not allowed entry into Latvia. Russian-language newspapers, referring to the statement of the Russia Foreign Affairs Ministry, claim that such decision could complicate relations between Russian and Latvia. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Cha, Telegrafs

Vesti Segodnya features a critical opinion of the former Prime Minister Einars Repse about the present governments performance. Einars Repse believes that the weakest ‘point in the present government is a Special Tasks Minister for Society Integration Nils Muiznieks, who has done almost nothing for society integration, on the contrary, deliberately or unintentionally pushing things towards disintegration. According to Repse, while former Minister for Education and Science Karlis Sadurskis (New Era) tried both to implement the education reform and to explain its substance to minority students and their parents, Nils Muiznieks has withdrawn from the process as if it was not connected to integration.

Riga Central Court has imposed an 80 lats fine on the Riga City Council deputy Ilga Ozisa (For Human Rights in the United Latvia) for organizing the unapproved protest meetings against the education reform with the participation of Russian youth near the embassies of the USA, France and Russia in Riga.

Riga Central Court has imposed an 80 lats fine on the Riga City Council deputy Ilga Ozisa (For Human Rights in the United Latvia) for organizing the unapproved protest meetings against the education reform with the participation of Russian youth near the embassies of the USA, France and Russia in Riga. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Chas

Neatkariga Rita Avize continues discussion on the activities needed from the side of the state security institutions in order to penalize those responsible for organizing the Headquarters for the Defense of Russian-language Schools protest actions against the education reform, during which violations of laws have been recorded, and features experts opinions on the legal aspects of the issue.

Latvijas Avize features an interview with the head of the parliamentary group For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM Maris Grinblats about society integration issues and possible government crisis.

Russian language newspapers write about the meeting of the representatives of the People’s Harmony Party parliamentary group and Minister for Interior Eriks Jekabsons in order to discuss security issues pertaining to the protest actions against the education reform.

Russian language newspapers write about the meeting of the representatives of the Peoples Harmony Party parliamentary group and Minister for Interior Eriks Jekabsons in order to discuss security issues pertaining to the protest actions against the education reform. Vesti Segodnya, Chas