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.

• One more person punished for incitement to ethnic hatred online
• Interview with Igors Kuzmuks whose organisation for eleven years organises free-of-charge Latvian language courses
• President of Latvia Andris Berzins: parents should have the free choice to decide to which kindergarten their child should go

The Court sentenced one more person to one year of suspended imprisonments and one year of probation period for incitement to ethnic hatred. The convicted person published his comments to a news story on one of the local Internet portals comparing Latvia with fascist state and insulting ethnic Latvians. As reported last week, the court sentenced another person to seven months of suspended imprisonment and seven months of probation period for justification of crimes against humanity and instigation of ethnic hatred online. Diena, Vesti Segodnya

Vesti Segodnya interviews Igors Kuzmuks whose organisation “Prata Speks” for eleven years have organised free-of-charge Latvian language courses. According to Mr Kuzmuks, these courses are mainly aimed at preparation of non-citizens for naturalisation tests. Mr Kuzmuks positively evaluates that some local governments also began to provide free-of-charge Latvian language courses for residents. Mr Kuzmuks also criticizes the government for lack of political will to fund such courses and explains it by the fact that the governing parties are not interested in increasing amount of new-citizens because those most likely will not vote for them.

The President of Latvia Andris Berzins in an interview with Vesti Segodnya and Telegraf commenting recently adopted draft amendments to the Citizenship Law, says that there are still a lot of issues that needs to be solved and it is important that the state should somehow help people who really want to become Latvian citizens. Regarding the proposal of the nationalists about transition of all municipal kindergartens into Latvian language only, the President says that the parents should have the free choice to decide to which kindergarten their child should go – Latvian or Russian or maybe English language.