• Minister of Education Ina Druviete asserts that the will be no major changes in bilingual education system
• Rector of the University of Latvia Marcis Auzins: requirements for state language proficiency for foreign lecturers are absurd

Vesti Segodnya reports about a meeting of the President of Latvia Andris Berzins with the Minister of Education Ina Druviete. The President asked the Minister to clarify her position regarding the plans to transfer education in ethnic minority schools into Latvian language. According to the Minister Druviete, there will be no radical reform and the Education law will not be changed. The newspaper says that the Minister’s tactic is to persuade school directors to use model of bilingual education which foresees proportion 80/20 instead of the most widespread model 60/40 – which means that all subjects except Russian language and literature will be thought in Latvian language.  The Headquarters for the Defence of Russian Language Schools in Latvia, in its turn, plans to hold another picket for children’s right to receive education in native language on 20 March.

Rector of the University of Latvia Marcis Auzins stated that the existing regulations on state language proficiency requirements for university lecturers are absurd and hinder attraction of foreign lecturers for permanent work in Latvian universities. In order to get permanent employment as a staff member at Latvian higher education establishment, the lecturer has to have the certificate of the highest state language level. Vesti Segodnya

• Unofficial commemoration of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires took place without major incidents 

Newspapers report that the unofficial public events commemorating Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires took place without major incidents. About 2000 persons participated in the procession amid the plentiful presence of law enforcement personnel, including Border Guards and the Police boat patrol. "World without Nazism" protesters shouted at the participants of the procession, yet unlike the previous year, there were no incidents. Some politicians participated in the commemoration procession, including the MPs Raivis Dzintars, Janis Dombrava, Imants Paradnieks, Vineta Porina, Inara Murniece, member of Riga City Council Aleksandrs Kirsteins, as well as former Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Einars Cilinskis who has recently been dismissed from this post due to his announced decision to take part in the procession just like he participated during all previous years. Altogether, 7 individuals were detained for petty violations. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Neatkariga, Vesti Segodnya 

• Anti-discrimination campaign launched by the Society Integration Foundation
• Diena:  many aggressive comments on internet portal www.diena.lv come from users located in European institutions

Latvijas Avize reports about an anti-discrimination campaign launched by the Society Integration Foundation. One of the key elements of the campaign are posters with different pictures of little children accompanied with titles that due to different reasons they might be subjected to discrimination in future. According to the Ombudsman’s Office, from August 2013 to this day, legal equality department has received 73 complaints and initiated 22 verification cases. Five of these cases concern discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic belonging, six cases concern discriminating attitude towards pregnant women and mothers with little children, four cases about discrimination on the grounds of disability, six cases about violation of the principle of legal equality. The State Labour Inspection, in its turn, in 2013, punished a number of employers who set gender or age limits for potential employees in job advertisements.

Diena prints an article about its monitoring of aggressive comments on internet portal www.diena.lv checking IP addresses of users who published these comments. The monitoring showed that many offensive comments using uncensored vocabulary comes from IP addresses registered for the Council of the European Union and the European Commission’s houses in Brussels and Luxemburg. Many rude comments published under news articles about social economic issues topical for Latvia come from Latvians living outside Latvia. Users taking part in the recent discussions about situation in Ukraine come also from Russia and United States of America and often, using rude words and racist or hateful content, thus raising confrontation. Three years ago the same monitoring showed that the many aggressive comments were published by authors located in the Ministry of Interior, Bank of Latvia, and Central Statistics Board.

• Highs state officials stress that the government’s representatives should not take part in the events commemorating Latvian legionnaires on 16 March in the centre of Riga
• Daugavpils’ academics: Daugavpils’ residents would never support the reunification with Russia
• Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs
• Vesti Segodnya: Ombudsman Juris Jansons provided the President misleading information

According to the President of Latvia Andris Berzins, all the state officials including ministers have no place at the events commemorating Latvian legionnaires on 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Waffen SS legionnaires) in the centre of Riga. The Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma also said that she does not want to hear any reproaches by the allies regarding the participation of the Latvian ministers in the procession of legionnaires. “I don’t want to make excuses for issues we have never supported. It is clear, we do not support any totalitarian regime – neither fascism nor Nazism” – said Straujuma. As reported, the only minister who announced that he will take part in the procession is Einars Cilinskis. And yesterday, in the live interview with Latvian Radio, Mr Cilinskis approved that he will take part in the procession, thus breaking the decision of the government prohibiting it. Vesti Segodnya

Latvijas Avize prints an article about Daugavpils (city in the Eastern part of Latvia) with one of the biggest proportion of ethnic non-Latvian population and whether it is possible that someday its residents would express their will that the region reunites with Russia. Academics from Daugavpils interviewed by the newspaper are confident that the majority of Daugavpils’ residents would never support the reunification with Russia and that the majority of its residents are well educated and loyal towards Latvian state. The academics also note that there are a lot of stereotypes about Daugavpils among other Latvian residents who do not understand the real situation. Also the Mayor of Daugavpils Janis Lacplesis categorically refuse that situation in Ukrainian Crimea may be replicated in Daugavpils.

Latvijas Avize prints an interview with the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs. According to Mr Usakovs, in order to promote consolidation of the society it is important to grant greater support to the Latvian regions. As the situation in Latgale region (Eastern part of Latvia) much differs from Riga and other regions, it would be important to ensure Latgale residents with free of charge Latvian language courses. The other action would be to grant support for producing more of analytical and news programs on public radio and TV channels in Russian language. Mr Usakovs also believes that there were always some radically minded persons in the society and there will always be such persons, but it is important that the majority of the society would not follow such ideas.

Vesti Segodnya reports that the Ombudsman Juris Jansons provided the President Andris Berzins misleading information writing about the proposal to transfer education in ethnic minority schools into Latvian language. In the letter to the President, the Ombudsman claimed that the Article 13 of the Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities says that the number of school subjects taught in state language should be significantly increased in secondary schools and the research findings suggest that the more significant the increase, the better for the child. However, the newspaper draws the attention, that instead of the word “significantly” and “significant” the Recommendations use word “gradually” and “gradual” and it changes all the meaning. 

• Public opinion survey: 58% of Latvian residents are against Russia’s military intervention to Ukraine, 34% - see basis for such actions
• Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs: it is important to prevent that situation similar to Ukrainian could ever be replicated in Latvia
• Government forbade the Ministers to take part in the procession commemorating Latvian legionnaires on 16 March
• Latvijas Avize reports about the UNO Human Rights Committee’s session hold in Geneva
• Vesti Segodnya interviews the MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanok
• Proposal stipulating the right not to know Russian language published on the portal of public initiatives

According to a public opinion survey conducted by a company “GfK”, 34% of respondents said that they see basis for Russia’s military intervention to Ukraine. 58% of respondents said that they are against such Russia’s actions. Among ethnic Latvian respondents, 6% fully supported military intervention, 11% supported partly, 77% had negative attitude towards it. Among ethnic non-Latvian respondents, 34% fully supported Russia’s intervention, 32% partly supported, 24% did not see any basis for it. In total, 1,051 respondents took part in the survey in the age of 18 to 65. Diena, Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya

Neatkariga prints an interview with the Mayor of Riga, leader of the Concord Centre Nils Usakovs. Mr Usakovs says that it is understandable why the majority of ethnic Latvians are concerned regarding the current events in Ukraine as Latvia in the past also experienced foreign military interventions. Mr Usakovs believes that ethnic Russian residents of Latvia should calm  ethnic Latvian friends, neighbours, colleagues and to say them that despite we might have different opinion about various issues, but we have one country – Latvia – and nobody wants Ukrainian events to be replicated here. Mr Usakovs also believes that today, the common sense about Latvian state is much more important than everyday itches and it is important to prevent that similar situation could ever be replicated in Latvia.

The government forbade the Ministers to take part in the procession commemorating Latvian legionnaires on 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires) in the centre of Riga. The Minister of Interior Rihards Kozlovskis said that non-participation in the 16 March procession is a consequent government’s position for the past 18 years. According to the Minister, this year, foreign policy situation is especially sensitive and the risk of confrontations is much higher. Such government’s decision concerns only the procession in the centre of Riga and government’s representatives can take part in the commemorative events in Lestene common graves (the place of burial of Latvian legionnaires.) Earlier, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Einars Cilinskis representing nationalists’ union stated that he will take part in the procession as he has done it in all previous years. After yesterday’s government’s session Mr Cilinskis refused to provide any comments and promised to conduct a press conference on Friday, 14 March. Latvijas Avize, Vesti Segodnya, Neatkariga, Diena

Latvijas Avize reports about the UNO Human Rights Committee’s session hold in Geneva. The newspaper criticizes the fact that from the part of Latvian NGOs, Latvia was represented by the Latvian Human Rights Committee and the Congress of Non-citizens who, according to the newspaper, provide misleading information about Latvia and rights ethnic minorities have in Latvia. According to the Latvian Ambassador to the UNO Raimonds Jansons, these organisations are very active at the international level and well informed about the opportunities to express their opinion, while, other Latvian organisations are not quite observant about such opportunities. The Latvian official delegation participating in the UNO session represented by 14 officials, including the Ombudsman Juris Janons who provided his opinion about human rights situation in Latvia.

Vesti Segodnya interviews the MEP from Latvia Tatjana Zdanoka. According to Mrs Zdanoka her party For Human Rights in United Latvia decided to change its name to “Russian Union in Latvia” thus clearly showing that it protects interests of Latvian Russian speaking residents. The main task of the Union now is to protect Russian language education in Latvia. 

Vesti Segodnya reports about collection of signatures on the portal of public initiatives manabals.lv under a proposal stipulating the right not to know the Russian language. The authors of the initiative want to forbid the employers to require foreign language and in particular Russian language proficiency from employees arguing that thus young people very often are being discriminated.