• NRA reminds about earlier protest activities of Mr. Rafalskis and calls to check the teachers of national minority schools 

NRA reminds its readers that Russian language and literature teacher Vladislavs Rafalskis, who recently stated his “disloyalty towards the present regime”, was also seen participating in earlier protest actions: in 2004, he actively took part in protests against transition of Russian minority schools to instruction in Latvian language and helped release a protest song with the “Pink Floyd” tune; in 2005, he took part in the protest chain dressed in extermination camp’s prisoner’s uniforms trying to prevent the procession commemorating Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires on 16 March. The author calls politicians and authorities to check the teachers of national minority schools and alleges that teachers like Mr. Rafalskis are responsible for the fact that many young people are still celebrating the defeat of Nazis.

• Saeima refused a proposal to grant non-citizens the right to propose legislative initiatives
• LVL 1,500 fine imposed on “First Baltic Channel” for violation of usage of state language
• Interview with the head of the President’s Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities Romans Alijevs

Yesterday, the Saeima refused a proposal of the Concord Centre (CC) to grant Latvian non-citizens the right to propose legislative initiatives. At present, only Latvian citizens have the right to turn to the Parliament with legislative initiative after collecting 10,000 signatures.  The CC also is planning to submit its proposals for the final reading of the draft amendments to the Citizenship Law in the Saeima stipulating easier naturalisation procedure for non-citizens. The CC believes naturalisation requirements for Latvian non-citizens should be easier than for foreign citizens who want to become Latvian citizens. Vesti Segodnya

The National Electronic Mass Media Council fined the Russian language TV channel “First Baltic Channel” with LVL 1,500 for violation of usage of state language. The Council punished the TV channel for not translating films and broadcasts into Latvian language and placement of advertisements in Russian language in broadcasts recorded in Latvian language. Latvijas Avize

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the head of the President’s Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities Romans Alijevs. According to Mr Alijevs, the aim of the Council is to establish dialogue with ethnic minorities, the society and to identify existing problems. Mr Alijevs also believes that such initiatives as past referendum on the status of Russian language in Latvia and possible forthcoming referendum on citizenship contradict the interests of ethnic minorities in Latvia, because there are no problems with communication in daily life but politicians are promoting such problems. According to Mr Alijevs, some people now confess to him they regret the fact that they voted in favour of the second state language during the last referendum. Mr. Alijevs also believes the referendum was a provocation and many people were mislead into voting by the slogan “go and vote for your native language!”

• Year ago Bauska City Council did not permit building of a Jewish memorial in the town
• Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with a teacher of a Russian language school Vladislavs Rafalskis

Vesti Segodnya reports that a year ago, the Council of Jewish Associations in Latvia asked the permission of the Bauska City Council to build a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Bauska. However, the City Council refused to give the permission arguing that the draft project of the memorial does not fit the town’s architecture. The newspaper also notes that the most active deputy against the Jewish memorial was the same person who was the initiator of the establishment of a monument to the Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires in Bauska. As reported, the Latvian Union against Nazism calls to remove the monument from the town’s centre to the fraternal cemetery because the two of three police battalions mentioned on the monument were the Nazi punitive units and took part in the genocide crimes in Russia, Belorussia and Ukraine in 1942-1944.

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with a teacher of a Russian language school Vladislavs Rafalskis who recently publicly stated his disloyalty towards Latvian state. Mr Rafalskis believes that disloyalty towards the exiting political regime emerged among especially Russian residents of Latvia in the beginning of 90’s when the society got divided into citizens and non-citizens. Mr Rafalskis also believes that about 80% of Latvian residents are not satisfied with the political regime but are afraid to express their opinion.

• Ombudsman’s Office acknowledged the discrimination of Hosam Abu Meri by the employees of the Riga airport

• Executive director of the Centre for East European Policy Studies Andis Kudors proposes to limit broadcasts of Russian TV channels in Latvia

The Ombudsman’s Office acknowledged the discrimination of a well known Latvian doctor of Lebanon origin Hosam Abu Meri by the employees of the Riga airport. Couple of months ago, Mr Abu Meri appealed to the Ombudsman’s Office complaining he was discriminated by airport employees at the registration desk; according to  Mr Abu Meri the employees exchanged a phrase “there is an aggressive dark skinned passenger” and refused him boarding. Later, the airport security service allowed the boarding to Mr Abu Meri. The airport’s service provider responsible for registration of passengers could not prove the equal attitude towards all the passengers and that behaviour of Mr Abu Meri was aggressive.  In an interview with Diena, Mr Abu Meri stated that this case is principal and it is planned to turn to the court. Diena

Executive director and researcher of the Centre for East European Policy Studies Andis Kudors believes that the influence of Russia’s TV channels on Latvian informative space is too big. Therefore, Mr Kudors proposed to diversify the informative space by including more products made in the EU and to limit retranslation of some Russian TV channels in Latvia. 

• President’s commission on constitutional rights: foreseeing irrevocable articles in the Constitution of Latvia is not the best solution for strengthening the core of the Constitution
• Chas and Vesti Segodnya report about opening of a monument to Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires in Bauska

The President’s commission on constitutional rights considers that foreseeing irrevocable articles in the Constitution of Latvia is not the best solution for strengthening the core of the Constitution. According to the head of the commission Egils Levits, the better way would be to reflect the core of the Constitution in its preamble. As reported, some politicians came with an initiative to set irrevocable articles in the Constitution regarding the state language and other issues concerning national state as a response to the referendum on granting Russian language status of a state language in Latvia and collection of signatures for referendum on granting citizenship to non-citizens. Mr Levits believes that the principle core of the Constitution should say that Latvia is democratic, legal, socially responsible and national state. Identity of Latvian state is reflected in the articles on its territory and Latvian language as the state language. By setting irrevocable articles it would be forbidden to make amendments to the articles which could strengthen the core even more – believes Egils Levits. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga, Chas

Chas and Vesti Segodnya report about opening of a monument to the three police battalions of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires in Bauska (town in the central part of Latvia). The title on the monument says “To the liberators of Bauska against second Soviet occupation. Latvia should be ethnic Latvian state.” The Latvian Union against Nazism calls to remove the monument from the town’s centre to the fraternal cemetery because the two of three police battalions mentioned on the monument were the Nazi punitive units and took part in the genocide crimes in Russia, Belorussia and Ukraine in 1942-1944. Establishment of the monument also evoked wave of criticism from Russian Embassy in Latvia and Russia’s mass media.