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.

Press Report

Head of the OSCE Mission to Latvia Richard Samuel during his meeting with Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Birkavs stressed the importance of accelerating the naturalization process. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Head of the Mission also discussed future research of the problem. Only slightly more than five thousand non-citizens received citizenship through naturalization between the beginning of 1995 and April 1997 although 93 thousand had the right to apply during the period. President Ulmanis during his meeting with the Head of the OSCE Mission admitted that agreement between the governing factions did not allow to amend the Citizenship Law. Still, the President believes that an open discussion and amending certain regulations could help to improve the situation. Among steps that could be taken to improve the situation Mr. Ulmanis mentioned granting citizenship to children born in Latvia and reducing the number of employment restrictions for non-citizens. During his talk with Mr. Samuel the President suggested to hold regular meetings of Naturalization Board, Human Rights Bureau, OSCE Mission and Council of Nationalities representatives.

Head of the OSCE Mission to Latvia Richard Samuel during his meeting with Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Birkavs stressed the importance of accelerating the naturalization process. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Head of the Mission also discussed future research of the problem. Only slightly more than five thousand non-citizens received citizenship through naturalization between the beginning of 1995 and April 1997 although 93 thousand had the right to apply during the period. President Ulmanis during his meeting with the Head of the OSCE Mission admitted that agreement between the governing factions did not allow to amend the Citizenship Law. Still, the President believes that an open discussion and amending certain regulations could help to improve the situation. Among steps that could be taken to improve the situation Mr. Ulmanis mentioned granting citizenship to children born in Latvia and reducing the number of employment restrictions for non-citizens. During his talk with Mr. Samuel the President suggested to hold regular meetings of Naturalization Board, Human Rights Bureau, OSCE Mission and Council of Nationalities representatives. Diena, SM

Co-chairman of the Latvian Human Rights Committee Gennady Kotov prepared a report on the human rights situation in Latvia for the UN Human Rights Committee. The report is an attempt to prove that Latvia's policy toward non-citizens can be qualified as apartheid. Mr. Kotov believes that a group deprived of political rights cannot defend its other rights efficiently. According to Mr. Kotov, the Human Rights Committee provided proofs of discrimination to Western authorities when such proofs were required by individuals willing to emigrate to the West. In most cases Western immigration authorities had to agree to the argumentation provided by the Committee and gave the applicants a political refugee status. Mr. Kotov is skeptical about the decrease in the number of court cases lost by the CID. He explains the tendency by a growing political partiality of Latvian courts that are trying to back the CID. Mr. Kotov believes the naturalization procedure to be humiliating. He objects to complicated tests and the Oath of Loyalty to Latvia, the latter requiring that a person should sometimes sacrifice his or her religious or political beliefs.

Co-chairman of the Latvian Human Rights Committee Gennady Kotov prepared a report on the human rights situation in Latvia for the UN Human Rights Committee. The report is an attempt to prove that Latvia's policy toward non-citizens can be qualified as apartheid. Mr. Kotov believes that a group deprived of political rights cannot defend its other rights efficiently. According to Mr. Kotov, the Human Rights Committee provided proofs of discrimination to Western authorities when such proofs were required by individuals willing to emigrate to the West. In most cases Western immigration authorities had to agree to the argumentation provided by the Committee and gave the applicants a political refugee status. Mr. Kotov is skeptical about the decrease in the number of court cases lost by the CID. He explains the tendency by a growing political partiality of Latvian courts that are trying to back the CID. Mr. Kotov believes the naturalization procedure to be humiliating. He objects to complicated tests and the Oath of Loyalty to Latvia, the latter requiring that a person should sometimes sacrifice his or her religious or political beliefs. Diena

Representatives of the Citizenship and Immigration Department at the yesterday's meeting of the

Representatives of the Citizenship and Immigration Department at the yesterday's meeting of the Saeima Committee on the Implementation of the Citizenship Law said that 6,000 inhabitants of Latvia had no status at all in accordance with the legislation in force. 4,000 persons having no status are spouses of citizens, non-citizens, foreigners, and stateless persons. 1,000 persons are registered only at company staff departments. Another 1,000 is homeless and stateless. CID Director Ints Zitars in a letter addressed to the Saeima stresses that the existing situation contradicted the European Human Rights Convention. The problem was raised by the CID in connection with the upcoming expiration of former USSR passports. Neatkariga, B&B