• Head of the Latvian Anti-Fascist Committee Josifs Korens: no anti-fascist organisation in Latvia has ever received funding from Russia
• Representatives of authorities did not take part in the commemoration of victims of Nazi-operated concentration camp in Salaspils

Head of the Latvian Anti-Fascist Committee Josifs Korens in an interview with Vesti Segodnya denies that it and other anti-fascist organisations inLatvia have ever received funding fromRussia and its foundation for support of compatriots. He asserts that all the activities are funded from own expenses.  Mr Korens also criticizes the Security Police who came with then statement asserting that the Committee received large sum of funding fromRussia for the counter activities on 16 March (unofficial day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires) and state officials who blame it in organisation of provocations on this day.

Vesti Segodnya reports about the annual commemoration ceremony held on Saturday at the site of the former Nazi-operated concentration camp in Salaspils. Former child prisoner interviewed by the newspaper recalls that the local Nazi collaborators burned down her village inEast Latvia before deporting to Salaspils camp, where the victims experienced malnutrition, cold, diseases and some also forcible withdrawal of blood. Former child prisoners and their supporters are upset that the authorities ignore the commemoration, including the President, who declined invitation. 

• Politician Juris Vidins: establishing Russian language channel is a proof of a slave syndrome

Latvijas Avize prints an opinion of a politician and doctor Juris Vidins, resident of Rezekne (traditionally Russian-speaking city in the Eastern part ofLatvia) about establishment of a state funded channel in Russian language. Mr Vidins believes that if such channel is established that would be another proof of how deep Latvians have slave syndrome. He believes that Russians enteredLatvia in 1940 and that for ethnic Latvians Russian language is language of occupants. Mr Vidins also says that young people should not be forced to learn Russian language and as less there are people who are not proficient in Russian as more ethnic Russians will be forced to learn Latvian. 

• Ombudsman Juris Jansons: no country is obliged to grant state funding to national minority schools
• LTV: local TV channel will be able to compete with Russia’s TV channels only by producing domestic programmes in Russian

The Ombudsman Juris Jansons in an interview with news agency LETA stated that no country is obliged to grant state funding to national minority schools. But Latvia, in its turn, went further in development and assurance of human rights, especially concerning ethnic minority children. The Ombudsman said that the fact that graduates of national minority secondary schools are passing final examination in Latvian language is in a child’s interests. It is important to preserve the balance between national minority rights for their language, culture and state interests so that every individual is integrated into the state society preserving own uniqueness and respecting state policy and law, said the Ombudsman. He also said that from the legal point of view, the transitional provisions of the Education Law say that transition of education in secondary schools into Latvian language should begin in 2004, and during these last 10 years there had to be a progress achieved.  The Ombudsman also pointed at some aspects of inequality in the process of bilingual education process when 9th grade students of Russian language schools can pass the examination in Russian language, but students of all other students should do it in state language. News agency LETA 07.04.2015, Vesti Segodnya

In an interview with Vesti Segodnya, a representative of the Latvian Television (LTV) explaining the need to establish state funded Russian language channel in Latvia says the only way how to attract wider Russian speaking audience to LTV is to increase the number of programmes in Russian language. However, it is not possible to achieve within the two existing national channels because channel LTV7 (channel which presently broadcasts some Russian language programmes) broadcasts also large amount of sports programmes and informational and educational programmes in Latvian language. The LTV considers that a local channel will be able to compete withRussia’s TV channels only by producing domestic programmes in Russian. 

• Head of the Security Police Normunds Mezvietis: Latvian anti-fascists create a misconception that their movement has mass character in Latvia

Head of the Security Police Normunds Mezvietis stated that there are about 100 organisations in Latviasupporting Russia’s policy on compatriots. Some of these organisations receive funding from Russiaon a regular basis or for some certain projects. Mr Mezvietis also said that so-called Latvian anti-fascists regularly establish new organisations in order to create a misconception that their movement has mass character in Latvia, but in reality there is a certain number of persons active in these organisations. Vesti Segodnya

• Latvijas Avize reports about a visit of the U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Nicolass Dean to Latvia

Latvijas Avize reports about a visit of the U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Nicolass Dean toLatvia. Yesterday, Mr Dean visited the Riga Ghetto andLatvianHolocaustMuseum and met with some high officials including the Speaker of the Parliament Inara Murniece discussing the Holocaust remembrance and education. Today, Mr Dean together with the Council of Jewish Communities inLatvia will visit the Holocaust memorials.