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.

• The rate of naturalisation process is only 1% per year
• Senate of the Supreme Court sent an addition to its appeal to the Constitutional Court on evaluation of a case on referendum on non-citizens
• Society Consolidation Committee plans to come with an appeal to the society asking to be tolerant about 16 March and 9 May events

According to the Saeima Society Consolidation Committee, the rate of naturalisation process is only 1% per year. The biggest number of persons who received Latvian citizenship trough naturalisation 19,169 was in 2005, while in 2011 there were only 2,467 naturalised citizens. In total, 280,584 non-citizens reside in Latvia at present. Head of the Naturalisation Board Igors Gorbunovs believes the low naturalisation rate is impacted by the political context – referendum on the status of Russian language, establishment of the Congress of Non-citizens, and Russia’s call to non-citizens to accept Russian citizenship. Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Senate of the Supreme Court sent an addition to its appeal to the Constitutional Court on evaluation of a case on referendum on non-citizens. In the additional appeal, the Senate asks the Constitutional Court to acknowledge that the articles of the Law on National Referendums which stipulate that the Central Elections Committee (CEC) evaluates the draft laws proposed for the referendum do not comply with the Constitution. As reported, in November 2012, the CEC refused to conduct state funded collection of signatures in support of referendum on granting Latvian citizenship to non-citizens despite the fact that the required number of signatures of Latvian citizens was collected. The initiators of the referendum appealed the decision in the Senate of the Supreme Court arguing the CEC exceeded its authority. The Senate suspended proceedings on the case and asked the Constitutional Court to evaluate it.

The Saeima Society Consolidation Committee plans to come with an appeal to the society asking to be tolerant about 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires) and 9 May (the Day of Victory over Nazism celebrated in many republics of the former Soviet Union) events. The appeal is mainly to be addressed to the politicians, mass media, organisers of the events, municipalities, and NGOs. The appeal would call the observers of the events not to bother persons who want to commemorate veterans of the WWII no matter on which side their fought. The society would be asked not to use Nazi and Soviet symbols and not to offend persons with different opinion. The politicians would be asked not to use the events for political agitation. The mass media would be asked to reflect the events in a balanced way and ignore expressions of radicalism. The municipalities would be asked not to put obstacles for the events and to control the situation, preventing provocative actions and conflicts.