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.

Press Review

Press Review

The fraction

The fraction For Fatherland and Freedom will ask the Minister of the Interior Peteris Jurdzs to intensify the police work on the investigation of forged language certificate cases, the Chair of the Fatherland and Freedom fraction Andrejs Pozarnovs told journalists after the meeting with Director of the State Language Centre Dzintra Hirsa on Monday. At the meeting Ms. Hirsa told that the Police ignore the requests of the Latvian language centre to investigate the cases of the forged language proficiency certificates considering them insignificant. The representatives of the Fatherland and Freedom and the State Language Centre expressed concern about the slow pace of the state language law consideration in the Saeima. Both parties agreed that in the near future a new regulations of the state language commissions should be adopted. The Chair of the State Language Certification Commission Ieva Zuicena toldDiena that the common perception is that people bribe the certification commissions to obtain the Latvian language proficiency certificates. But, in fact, persons who do not have the language knowledge buy the forged certificates on the market. According to information provided by the Language Inspectorate, since 1992 the Inspectorate has fined 1314 holders of the forged language proficiency certificates. Last year the State Language Centre filed materials to the Office of the Procurator General about 83 cases of the forged certificates. Diena, Neatkariga

The first regional human rights support centres were opened in Aluksne on Friday and in Liepaja yesterday. In February the similar centres will be opened in Daugavpils, Talsi, Jelgava, Tukums, Jekabpils, and Cesis, the project manager from the NGO Centre Ruta Dimanta told journalists. The objective of the project is to strengthen the regional NGO’s and with their help to inform people about their rights. Each such centre will have a library containing materials on human rights in Latvia, Russian, and English.

The first regional human rights support centres were opened in Aluksne on Friday and in Liepaja yesterday. In February the similar centres will be opened in Daugavpils, Talsi, Jelgava, Tukums, Jekabpils, and Cesis, the project manager from the NGO Centre Ruta Dimanta told journalists. The objective of the project is to strengthen the regional NGOs and with their help to inform people about their rights. Each such centre will have a library containing materials on human rights in Latvia, Russian, and English. Diena

B&B refers to the newspaper De Volkskrant (the Netherlands) according to which the Latvian and Estonian governments did not want the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Max van der Stoel to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Chasinforms that today the Cabinet of Ministers might finally decide on the procedure of granting citizenship to children born after 21 August 1992. Since the beginning of this year the Naturalisation Board has received 67 preliminary applications for citizenship of children younger than 9 years old. Another issue that might be considered by the Cabinet of Ministers today is the amendments to the regulations on the procedure of the naturalisation concerning the language and history examinations.

Panorama Latvii publishes an interview with the Zigfrids Grinpauks, the Head of the Education Inspectorate of the Ministry of Education. According to Mr. Grinpauks, by the end of the last year 147 teachers did not possess the state language proficiency certificate, and 89 of them were dismissed. Mr. Grinpauks assured the readers that those teachers who have been dismissed but who will have passed the language examination, will be able to return to work. In two cases - in Ventspils and in the Cesis region, teachers have already returned to work after passing the language exam.