• State Language Centre will punish ex-MP Valerijs Kravcovs with pecuniary penalty for a bilingual street sign (
• Minister of Education and Science Roberts Kilis: experts do not support transition of all kindergartens into only Latvian language
• Neatkariga prints an interview with the ex-Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins

The State Language Centre decided to punish ex-MP Valerijs Kravcovs with pecuniary penalty for putting at his house a bilingual street sign (in Latvian and Russian languages). The amount of the fine is not known yet, however, Mr. Kravcovs already stated he will not pay the fine and appeal it in the court. As reported, activist of a party “For Equal Rights” Jevgenijs Osipovs called to join an action for Russian language by placing bilingual street signs in Latvian and Russian languages. Chas

According to the Minister of Education and Science Roberts Kilis, a working group of education experts which was established by the government’s coalition in order to evaluate the proposal of transition of all kindergartens into only Latvian language concluded that such hasty decision in inadmissible. Experts believe that such changes could cause psychological problems and hinder the development of children to whom Latvian language is not a native language. The Minister Kilis believes that monolingual education is in the past because now the society lives in multilingual environment and it is logical that children start learning foreign languages together with their native language already in kindergarten. Vesti Segodnya

Neatkariga prints an interview with the ex-Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins (member of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM). Mr Berzins asserts that the main reason for his resignation was the issue of restitution of Jewish properties in Latvia. Mr Berzins does not deny that resignation was also influenced by other issues such as communication between the nationalists’ union and their coalition partners from the Unity. According to Mr Berzins, the nationalists’ union wants to be perceived as equal partner, however many of its proposals are denied without discussions. As an example, Mr Berzins mentions proposals regarding Latvian citizenship: the nationalists union does not support granting Latvian citizenship automatically as it is proposed now.

• Newspapers continue to report about issues regarding the restitution of Jewish properties

Newspapers continue to report about issues regarding the restitution of Jewish properties. As reported, the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins resigned from the post complaining about disagreements over the return of Jewish organisations’ properties to the Jewish community with the Prime Minister.Neatkariga reports that representatives of Jewish community in Latvia are planning to meet with all the Saeima’s factions in order to know the opinion of the parties regarding the issue. The Jewish community also stated that it claims to return only its religious and public properties which belonged to the Jewish organisations before the WWII and were built or bought for its members’ means or donations.  Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Mordehai Amihai-Bivas during his visit to Latvia stated the solution of issues regarding restitution of Jewish properties would restore historical justice.  Board member of an NGO Russian Community in Latvia Igors Vatolins, in his turn, in an interview with Chas stated that the Russian community also could claim for properties which belong to it before 1940, because speaking of historical justice other ethnic minorities should not be forgotten. Chas, Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

• Saeima supported in the final reading the draft amendments stipulating that initiators of a referendum should gather about 150,000 signatures of the voters
• Well known Latvian lawyer Andris Grutups criticizes claim to return properties to Jewish community

 Yesterday, the Saeima supported in the final reading the draft amendments to the Law on National Referendum and Legislative Initiatives stipulating that initiators of a referendum should gather about 150,000 signatures of the voters. At present, the initiators are required to collect 10,000 signatures in order to start the second stage – state funded collection of signatures. If the state President Andris Berzins proclaims the amendments those will come into force on 1 January 2015. The oppositional parties appealed to the President asking not to proclaim the amendments. Latvijas Avize

 

Well known Latvian lawyer, co-author of Latvia’s restitution legislation Andris Grutups (also known for his controversial statements regarding Jews) stated that claims of the Jewish community to return pre-war properties is a manifestation of greed and shamelessness of certain individuals. Mr Grutups stated that thanks to the Latvian denationalisation legislation 90% of Jewish properties are already returned to Jews and their descendants. According to Mr Grutups, there were specific time limits when persons could claim their properties, but the properties which had no inheritors passed to the state. Mr Grutups believes that no exemptions should be made to Jews because Latvia is the state of ethnic Latvians and therefore such exemptions could only be made for ethnic Latvians. As reported, the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins resigned from the post formally stating that the reason is pressure of the Prime Minister to solve issues with restitution of Jewish properties. Chas

21 June, 2012 

• Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins resigns amid disagreements over returning of Jewish organisations’ properties to the Jewish community

Yesterday, the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins resigned amid disagreements over the return of Jewish organisations’ properties to the Jewish community. Mr.Berzins complained about pressure and stated that the assignment given by the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis regarding the properties violates the coalition agreement. According to Raivis Dzintars, the co-chairperson of the radical nationalist union “All for Latvia! For Fatherland and Freedom / Latvian National Independence Movement” (AL!FF/LNIM) the property restitution process is complete and should not be revised in the interests of one ethnic community. Earlier, the President of the Republic of Latvia Andris Berzins expressed his support to the initiative to return the properties. Newspapers also inform that the issue might be raised during the upcoming visit of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Chas, Diena, Neatkariga, Vesti-Segodya

• Chas prints an interview with political scientist, ex-advisor of the Minister of Culture on integration issues Andrejs Berdnikovs
• Russian activists: Russians should tell ethnic Latvians about the problems they have
• Saeima’s sub-Committee asked the Security Police to evaluate whether Aleksandrs Gilmans’ article about Stalinist deportations incites ethnic hatred and justifies crimes against humanity

Chas prints an interview with political scientist, ex-advisor of the Minister of Culture on integration issues Andrejs Berdnikovs. Mr Berdnikovs criticizes the program on consolidation of society elaborated during the time of the ex-Minister of Culture Sarmite Elerte.  Mr Berdnikovs believes that this program is not legitimate because it was elaborated without real engagement of representatives of ethnic minorities. According to Mr Berdnikovs, the action plan of the program is senseless and it is bad parody on propaganda and brainwashing - it is a plan how to explain that Latvia was occupied, what isare the constitutional basis of Latvia and so on. Mr Berdnikovs also supports the initiative on collection of signatures for the national referendum on granting non-citizens Latvian citizenship because this referendum is able to change the political situation in the country.

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with one Russian activists Aleksandrs Gamalejevs. Mr Gamalejevs believes each Russian residents of Latvia should tell ethnic Latvians in a friendly and kind manner but systematically about the problems they have. Because, in majority of cases, ethnic Latvian are not aware of the issues Russian speakers face every day and how absurd those might be, believes Mr Gamalejevs. 

Yesterday, the Saeima’s Statist Education sub-Committee decided to ask the Security Police to evaluate whether an article about Stalinist deportations in Latvia in 1941 published on 15 June 2012 by politician Aleksandrs Gilmans. Mr.Gilmans himself is officially recognized as a victim of Stalinist repressions, because he was born in Siberia in 1953 to parents who were still in exile after deportation in 1941, and the article brings personal perspective of his family. The author of the initiative Raivis Dzintars asks if the statement of Mr.Gilmans “my family was deported by ethnic Latvians” violates Section 78 of the Criminal Law (incitement to ethnic, national and racial hatred), and if the statement that at reunions, returnees who spent their youth in the exile, had memories about the “jaunt in the open air, not exile” violates Section 74.1 of the Criminal Law (Denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace and justification of war crimes). Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya