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.

• Neatkariga reports about a discussion about Roma education in Latvia
• Saeima’s sub-committee on patriotic education met with representatives of Russian language media in Latvia
• Union of Citizens and Non-citizens reminds Russia’s and European Ombudsmen about non-citizens in Latvia

Neatkariga reports about a discussion about Roma education in Latvia held on the International Roma Day. According to a researcher of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Sigita Zankovska-Odina, the reasons why Roma situation does not improve over years are the lack of long-term development program for support of Roma in municipalities and the lack of comprehensive approach for support of teachers, as well as insufficient number of Roma teacher’s assistants who can help Roma children to adapt to unusual environment and language. Another great concern is the fact that about quarter of Roma children study according to special programmes or even in special schools. Thus, Roma are often put in correctional classes due to insufficient Latvian language proficiency, misbehaviour and ethnic peculiarities. These obstacles result in the fact that many Roma students leave schools and later cannot find jobs.

The Saeima’s sub-committee on patriotic education met with representatives of Russian language media in Latvia. Participants of the discussion were asked to give their opinion on how to strengthen belonging of local ethnic minorities to Latvian state and whether private media should also be engaged in such mission. Media representatives stressed that they all want that Latvia becomes prosperous country and that all Latvian residents regardless of their native language and ethnicity see Latvia as their motherland. Journalists from TV channel LTV7 which broadcasts news in Russian language mentioned the lack of state funding as a factor hindering attraction of a larger audience. Head of the public television LTV Ivars Belte said that there is no clear state media policy and communication strategy with Russian speakers. Mr Belte also proposed to establish a united Baltic TV Channel in Russian language which would be funded by Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and would be able to compete with Russia’s channels. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize  

Head of the Union of Citizens and Non-citizens Vladimirs Sokolovs sent letters to the Russia’s Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin and Ella Pamfilova and European Ombudsman Emilie O’Reilly reminding about the large scale non-citizenship in Latvia. V. Sokolovs stresses that these people committed no crime, yet were collectively stripped of their voting rights and now the non-citizens are neither citizens, nor foreigners, nor stateless persons, thus a category, unknown in public international law. Vesti Segodnya