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.

• State Language Centre repeatedly forbade the National Health Service to distribute invitations for cancer screening in Russian language
• Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with the head of the President’s Commission on State Language Andrejs Vejsbergs
• Latvijas Avize reports about the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law which grants the right to interpreter free of charge to persons entitled to defence, victim and his/her representative
• Minister of Justice Janis Bordans supports removal of the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders
• MP Andrejs Elksnins: Egils Levits’ Preamble to the Constitution is a continuation of the integration program elaborated by Sarmite Elerte

Vesti Segodnya reports that the State Language Centre repeatedly forbade the National Health Service to distribute invitations to women for screening for cervical cancer and breast cancer and to men over 50 years old for bowel cancer in Russian language. The National Health Service, taking into account ethnic composition of the population and specificity of the medical terminology, prepared the invitations in Latvian and Russian languages, however, after the conclusion of the SLC distributed invitations in Latvian only. The SLC argued that the state institutions should provide information in the state language only. The MP Boriss Cilevics in an interview with the newspaper criticizes such position of the SLC and argues that this is wrong, because the legal acts allow provision of important information for population in foreign language regarding life and health of individuals. According to the calculation of the lecturer of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga Boriss Ginzburgs, the decision of the SLC every year kills about 5-6 women who might not understand the invitation for screening in Latvian language and, therefore, do not respond to it.

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with the head of the President’s Commission on State Language Andrejs Vejsbergs. Mr Vejsbergs believes that there are no linguistic threats for Latvian language at present, but there are demographic threats as the number of ethnic Latvian speakers is relatively small. Mr Vejsbergs also believes that Russian and Latvian languages do not interfere with each other linguistically, but Russian language always has political connotations. The other factor which hampers the state language is psychological problem of ethnic Latvians as, despite the fact that they are ethnic majority in Latvia, regarding the language situation they feel as minorities due to the past events – Soviet occupation and repressions. Mr Vejsbergs also believes that residents who enter formal communication with the state which has only one state language have to consider with this state’s rules. 

Latvijas Avize reports about the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law which grants the right to interpreter free of charge to persons entitled to defence, victim and his/her representative if they do not know the state (Latvian) language. The new amendments will also include the right to interpreter in communication with the defence counsel. As of 1 January 2014, 30 interpreter positions will be made available in prisons. According to Ilona Spure, the Director of the Latvian Prison Administration, of 5,325 prisoners more than half of prisoners in Latvia are Russian speakers, which include both Latvian citizens and non-citizens. There is also a small number of foreign citizens mostly from the CIS countries. The amendments were adopted to transpose the EU Directive on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings.

 Commenting the social initiative to demolish the Monument to the Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders, the Minister of Justice Janis Bordans stated that the Monument in the future should look totally different and be located elsewhere because it has no place near the recently built Latvian National library. Replying to a journalists’ question whether this issue on demolition of the Monument splits the society, the Minister said that we should start to speak about historical issues openly. Vesti Segodnya interviewed the MPs about the initiative and majority of interviewees do not support the demolition of the Monument and consider that the Parliament will not discuss this initiative as such issue is not in its competence. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

The MP Andrejs Elksnins (Concord Centre) interviewed by Neatkariga criticizes the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia elaborated by the head of the President’s Commission on Constitutional Rights Egils Levits and believes that this Preamble is a continuation of the integration program elaborated by the ex-Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte. Mr Elksnins believes that these two documents put ethnic Latvians hierarchically superior other ethnic non-Latvian residents. Mr Elksnins believes that the draft Preamble splits the society and endangers its sustainable development. Latvijas Avize, in its turn, reports that the draft Preamble will be discussed on 25 October at a conference at the University of Latvia.