• High demand for free-of-charge Latvian language courses funded by the Riga City Council
• Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins did not establish a working group on compensation for the Jewish community for the properties lost during the Holocaust
• Activist of a movement „For Equal Rights” Illarions Girs stated he is ready to burn his passport as a protest against discrimination

Neatkariga reports that the demand is very high among Riga residents for the free-of-charge courses of Latvian language funded by the Riga City Council. The Council has approved 14 project proposals for conduction of the courses. According to the organisers of the courses, at the very first day when the courses were opened for applicants the interest was very high and people did not just phone but also arrived in order to fill the application forms.  As reported, the City Council granted LVL 100,000 for the language courses thus 1,668 persons will have a chance to learn the language.

Latvijas Avize reports that the Minister of Justice Gaidis Berzins did not fulfil the order of the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis to establish a working group on compensation for the Jewish community for the properties lost during the Holocaust in Latvia. The Minister Berzins explained it by the fact that the process of denationalisation is over in Latvia and that two years ago the Prime Minister already received proposal regarding the restitution issues. The nationalists union All for Latvia!FF-LNIM supported such position of its Minister Gaidis Berzins.

Activist of a movement „For Equal Rights” Illarions Girs stated he is ready to burn his passport as a protest against discrimination of non-citizens in Latvia. Mr Girs believes such action could attract attention of other countries towards the existing situation in Latvia. Chas

• National Mass Media Council want to punish TV channels for failure to provide translation of broadcasts into Latvian  

The National Mass Media Council initiated an administrative case against the TV channel “TV5” regarding the failure to provide translation of a film “For Comprehension” into Latvian language. The Council also initiated similar case against channel “Pro100 TV” for the failure to provide translation of a film and a broadcast. Latvijas Avize

• Diena prints an interview with the Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland

Diena prints an interview with the Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, who visited Latvia recently. According to Mr Jagland, Latvia has solid democracy, but still it has some problems. For instance, Mr Jagland named problems regarding minorities and non-citizens. Mr Jagland especially emphasized the large number of children with non-citizens’ status and stated that it is positive that the Parliament discusses the possibility to grant Latvian citizenship to children of non-citizens automatically. 

• Representative of the foundation “Russian World” Aleksey Gromiko: foundation never interfered into Latvian internal politics
• Vesti Segodnya reports about the collection of signatures in support of demolishing the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders

Vesti Segodnya interviews director representative of the foundation “Russian World” Aleksey Gromiko. Mr Gromiko denies an allegation of the Latvian Constitution Protection Bureau that the foundation implements Russian propaganda in Latvia. According to Mr Gromiko, the foundation implements the Russia’s policy on support of Russian diaspora and popularisation of Russian language and such practice is normal for many large states. Mr Gromiko asserts that the foundation has never interfered into the Latvian internal politics. 

Vesti Segodnya reports about the collection of signatures in support of demolishing the Monument to Liberators of Riga from Nazi Invaders and implementation of the idea proposed by the President Karlis Ulmanis in 1936 on establishing a square of victory at that place devoted to the victory over the Bermont army in Riga in 1919 important for Latvian army. Initiators of the collection of signatures believe that the existing Monument has nothing to do in the capital of Latvia because it glorifies the Soviet occupation and splits the society in ethnic lines.

• Old Believers are dissatisfied with the answer of the Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina  

The leaders of the Russian Old Believers communities are dissatisfied with the answer of the Speaker of the Saeima Solvita Aboltina. As reported, the leaders of the Old Believers send an appeal letter to the Speaker expressing their anxiety about the legal status of Russian language and the general situation in the country following the language referendum. According to the leader of Rezekne Old Believers parish MP Vladimirs Nikonovs, the Speaker’s answer simply recounts existing legislation, while the Old Believers are anxious about the fact that this legislation declares their language as “foreign”. According to Mr. Nikonovs, during the last three centuries the Old Believers have experienced physical and legal persecution, yet they outlived the authors of these injustices. Mr. Nikonovs hopes for the common sense and for the slogan of integration of society to finally be realised. Chas, Vesti Segodnya