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.

• Special Tasks Minister for Society Integration Nils Muiznieks accounts for his performance during the first 100 days of the present government
• Riga Mayor Gundars Bojars is planning to call on state officials to introduce changes in the process of the education reforms implementation
• Analysis of ethnic aspects in the European Parliament elections results
• Russia State Council prepared recommendations for Latvia in the area of minorities rights
• Russia Foreign Affairs Ministry condemns statements of the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga
• Latvijas Avize continues discussion about proposals included in the appeal of the group of intellectuals to the state officials regarding implementation of the minority education reform
• MP of the Russia State Council Konstantin Zatulin on implementation of the education reform in Latvia
• Latvijas Avize writes about possible governments response to the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Tatjana Zdanoka
• Chas features an article about demands of the Russian-speaking community
• Mourning meeting at the commemoration site of the synagogue burned during the Holocaust will take place on 4 July
• Children in T-shirts with the logo of the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools visit the Occupation Museum of Latvia

Nils Muiznieks named the action, during which 15,000 letters to eligible non-citizen children’s parents were send in order to invite them to register their children born in Latvia after 21 August 1991 as Latvian citizens, as one of the most notable achievements during his first 100 days at the post of the Special Tasks Minister in the present government. As a result of the action, 354 children in May and 290 children in June were registered as citizens of Latvia, while only 356 children where registered during the twelve months of the last year. Nils Muiznieks has also mentioned collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science in order ‘to help the Ministry of Education to cope with the inherited hard situation in the area of the education reform’, and to the elaboration of the national program for promotion of tolerance.

Nils Muiznieks named the action, during which 15,000 letters to eligible non-citizen childrens parents were send in order to invite them to register their children born in Latvia after 21 August 1991 as Latvian citizens, as one of the most notable achievements during his first 100 days at the post of the Special Tasks Minister in the present government. As a result of the action, 354 children in May and 290 children in June were registered as citizens of Latvia, while only 356 children where registered during the twelve months of the last year. Nils Muiznieks has also mentioned collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science in order ‘to help the Ministry of Education to cope with the inherited hard situation in the area of the education reform, and to the elaboration of the national program for promotion of tolerance. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf, Latvijas Vestnesis

Yesterday Riga City Council Education, Youth and Sports Department decided that the Riga Mayor Gundars Bojars should call on the Prime Minister Indulis Emsis and the Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre to make several changes in the process of the education reform’s implementation. The city council is suggesting following changes: to grant exceptional status to Riga secondary school Nr. 34, where teachers of geography and informatics are not able to teach their subjects in Latvian; to decrease number of subjects which must be taught in Latvian from 5 to 3 in Grade 10 of minorities schools’ evening and by-correspondence classes; to allow teaching of two subjects bilingually, and to increase the number of Latvian language lessons per week by one lesson.

Yesterday Riga City Council Education, Youth and Sports Department decided that the Riga Mayor Gundars Bojars should call on the Prime Minister Indulis Emsis and the Saeima Speaker Ingrida Udre to make several changes in the process of the education reforms implementation. The city council is suggesting following changes: to grant exceptional status to Riga secondary school Nr. 34, where teachers of geography and informatics are not able to teach their subjects in Latvian; to decrease number of subjects which must be taught in Latvian from 5 to 3 in Grade 10 of minorities schools evening and by-correspondence classes; to allow teaching of two subjects bilingually, and to increase the number of Latvian language lessons per week by one lesson. Rigas Balss features opinions of the state officials about the possibility to increase the role and responsibility of municipalities in implementing the education reform. Rigas Balss, Neatkariga Rita Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Chas, Telegraf

Analysis of the European Parliament election’s results, conducted by the ethnologist Ilmars Mezs, indicates that the vote of Latvia’s citizens at the European Parliament’s elections has been explicitly ethnically motivated, as the biggest support to the left parties has been given by voters in the regions and cities populated by ethnic minorities in big numbers. According to Mezs, percentage of votes given to the left parties in these regions is almost identical to the percentage of minorities among citizens living there. Integration experts, asked by

Analysis of the European Parliament elections results, conducted by the ethnologist Ilmars Mezs, indicates that the vote of Latvias citizens at the European Parliaments elections has been explicitly ethnically motivated, as the biggest support to the left parties has been given by voters in the regions and cities populated by ethnic minorities in big numbers. According to Mezs, percentage of votes given to the left parties in these regions is almost identical to the percentage of minorities among citizens living there. Integration experts, asked by Diena, whether the ‘ethnic vote during the EP elections indicates that social integration policy has come to a dead end, have all denied such a possibility. Diena

Russia State Council is planning to submit a document, which includes 17 recommendations for Latvia in the area of minorities’ rights observation, to the international organisations. The main focus is on granting voting rights at municipal elections to non-citizens, simplification of the naturalisation procedure for older persons, and implementation of the education reform.

Russia State Council is planning to submit a document, which includes 17 recommendations for Latvia in the area of minorities rights observation, to the international organisations. The main focus is on granting voting rights at municipal elections to non-citizens, simplification of the naturalisation procedure for older persons, and implementation of the education reform.

Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs has evaluated statements of the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga about Russia intervening with the internal affairs of Latvia, expressed during the interview to the Latvijas Radio, as unwarranted and intended to strain the relationship between Riga and Moscow. In the commentary submitted by the Information department of the Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the news agency Interfax, it is said that what the Latvian president calls ‘intervention in the internal affairs of Latvia’, is, in fact, ‘Russia’s principal position’ on defending Russian-speaking minority’s rights in accordance with the unified standards set by  international legislation and recommended by the human rights institutions and  experts of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe.

Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs has evaluated statements of the President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga about Russia intervening with the internal affairs of Latvia, expressed during the interview to the Latvijas Radio, as unwarranted and intended to strain the relationship between Riga and Moscow. In the commentary submitted by the Information department of the Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the news agency Interfax, it is said that what the Latvian president calls ‘intervention in the internal affairs of Latvia, is, in fact, ‘Russias principal position on defending Russian-speaking minoritys rights in accordance with the unified standards set by international legislation and recommended by the human rights institutions and experts of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize continues discussion about proposals included into the appeal of the group of intellectuals to the state officials regarding implementation of the minority education reform. Writer Mara Svire believes that the appeal is not providing any specific solutions to existing problems, while writer Anda Lice calls the appeal ‘rhetorical and claims that it presents an attempt to destabilise the situation. The publicist Peteris Bankovskis believes, that, on the contrary, appeal aims at stabilisation, not escalation, of the conflict.

Vesti Segodnya features an interview with the MP of Russia State Council Konstantin Zatulin about implementation of the education reform in Latvia.

Latvijas Avize features an article about possible governments reaction to the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Tatjana Zdanoka. According to the newspaper, neither Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor Ministry of Justice have read the judgment yet, as it is still being translated into Latvian from the original French language.

Chas prints an article by Viktors Guscins answering to the former Prime Minister of Latvia Ivars Godmanis, who in his previous interview to the newspaper claimed that ‘Latvians want to know at what level demands of the Russian-speaking community will stop. According to the author, Russian-speakers want Latvia to become a democratic state, and the ‘ruling Latvian elite should abandon policy of ‘lies, hypocrisy, and coercion towards the ethnic minorities. Only fulfilment of these requirements, writes Viktors Guscins, can stop further escalation of the ethnic conflict.

A mourning meeting will take place at the site of the remains of the synagogue, burned during the Holocaust, on 4 July, Commemoration day for the victims of the genocide against Jewish people. Approximately 200 representatives of the Jewish community and Latvian intellectual circles will attend. The Prime Minister Indulis Emsis will also participate in the meeting.

A mourning meeting will take place at the site of the remains of the synagogue, burned during the Holocaust, on 4 July, Commemoration day for the victims of the genocide against Jewish people. Approximately 200 representatives of the Jewish community and Latvian intellectual circles will attend. The Prime Minister Indulis Emsis will also participate in the meeting. Latvijas Avize

Yesterday approximately 40 children dressed in T-shirts with the inscription “Hands off from our schools!” and logo of the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools visited the Occupation Museum of Latvia.

Yesterday approximately 40 children dressed in T-shirts with the inscription Hands off from our schools! and logo of the Headquarters for the Defence of Russian-language Schools visited the Occupation Museum of Latvia. Chas