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.

• Security Police initiated criminal proceedings for an online petition in support of Latvia’s merge with the U.S.A.
• The MEPs from Latvia and Estonia initiated a petition to the European Parliament in support of widening political rights of Latvian and Estonian non-citizens

According to the news portal ves.lv, the Security Police has conducted a search in the place of residence of ex-editor of the portal Deniss Barteckis in connection with an initiated criminal proceeding. The media admit that the criminal proceeding is initiated for an online petition in support of Latvia’s merge with the U.S.A. published by Barteckis on the Internet. The petition was published in February 2016 in response to the fact that the court sentenced Maksims Koptelovs with six months of imprisonment for collecting signatures online in support of Latvia’s merge with Russia. At the end of the petition’s text for merge with the U.S.A., similarly to Koptelovs’ petition, the author noted that it is a joke. In February 2016, another joke petition was published online calling for Latvia’s merge with “Galaxy Empire”. Ves.lv, delfi.lv

The MEPs from Latvia and Estonia – Andrejs Mamikins, Tatjana Zdanoka and Yana Toom, have initiated a petition to the European Parliament in support of widening political rights of Latvian and Estonian non-citizens. In particular, the MEPs call to draw attention to the fact that the number of seats allocated for Latvia and Estonia in the European Parliament is disproportionally high because those are allocated in accordance with the entire population of Latvia and Estonia including also Latvian and Estonian non-citizens, while non-citizens are not allowed to vote in the elections. The petition also emphasizes the fact that in Latvia non-citizens do not have the rights to vote and stand as candidates in both national and local elections, but in Estonia - to stand as candidates and be members of political parties.  Delfi.lv