• Latvian Human Rights Committee presents its second research on differences in rights of citizens and non-citizens

Today, the Latvian Human Rights Committee presents its second research on differences in rights of citizens and non-citizens in Latvia. Authors of the research will list the existing differences in rights of citizens and non-citizens, report how status of non-citizens is connected with social economy, inform about recommendations of international organisations on how to solve problem of large scale non-citizenship in Latvia. Presentation of the research is timed to the anniversary of 15 October 1991 or the date when Latvian government took a decision to grant Latvian citizenship only to those residents who were Latvian citizens before 1940 and their descendants, while the rest of residents or those who arrived to Latvia during Soviet era were granted status of non-citizen or alien. Vesti Segodnya

• Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Nils Muiznieks will come to Latvia with official visit after the up-coming Saeima’s elections
• Diena interviews an ethnic Roma Roksana Rudevica who now works as a lawyer’s assistant in the Ombudsman’s Office
• Head of the Union of Citizens and Non-citizens Vladimirs Sokolovs calls residents to put a badge with title “My friend is a non-citizen” on 15 October

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Nils Muiznieks during his public lecture at the Riga Graduate School of Law stated that he will come to Latvia with official visit after the up-coming Saeima’s elections in order to avoid politicisation of his visit. Mr Muiznieks mentioned that he will raise three main issues in Latvia: children with status of non-citizen, conditions in prisons, and living conditions of Roma in Latvia. Latvijas Avize

Diena interviews an ethnic Roma Roksana Rudevica who now works as a lawyer’s assistant in the Ombudsman’s Office on issues concerning Roma rights. According to Ms Rudevica, most often Roma face unequal treatment in the field of housing and employment in Latvia. Ms Rudevica says that during last few years large number of Roma have emigrated from Latvia to other EU countries, mainly United Kingdom. Ms Rudevica believes that Roma feel more comfortable in multicultural countries because their working abilities there are not judged by appearance. Ms Rudevica also believes that positives changes to the situation of Roma in Latvia will happen when the employers and other society members will learn to trust Roma.

Head of the Union of Citizens and Non-citizens Vladimirs Sokolovs calls all persons interested in overcoming the split in the society caused by division of Latvian residents into citizens and non-citizens to put a badge with title “My friend is a non-citizen” on 15 October. 15 October 1991 is the day when Latvian government took a decision to grant Latvian citizenship only to those residents who were Latvian citizens before 1940 and their descendants, while the rest of residents or those who arrived to Latvia during Soviet era were granted status of non-citizen or alien. Mr Sokolvs calls also leaders of public opinion including high state officials to join this action. Vesti Segodnya

• Security Police initiated 18 criminal proceedings on incitement to ethnic hatred
• Vesti Segodnya interviews academic Juris Rozenvalds about interethnic relations
• Politika.lv plans to conduct a discussion on transfer of preschool education into Latvian language
• Concord Centre: draft Preamble to the Constitution changes its spirit and intent
• Representative of the Parliament of Unrepresented plans to shoot a documentary about Latvian non-citizens

The Security Police initiated 18 criminal proceedings on incitement to ethnic hatred during this year. According to the Security Police, the majority of hate crimes in Latvia are expressed as hate speech – publishing insulting comments in online forums about someone’s ethnicity, race or nationality, and in certain cases indirectly threatening with violence. 17 of 18 criminal proceedings are about ethnic hatred. 12 cases are hateful expressions against ethnic Latvians, four against Jews, one against Russians, and one against representative of other race. Vesti Segodnya, news agency LETA

Vesti Segodnya interviews academic Juris Rozenvalds about interethnic relations among ethnic Latvians and Russian speaking residents. According to Mr Rozenvalds, since 80’s when the proportion of non-Latvians in Latvia was very high ethnic Latvians still have fear to become a minority. This fear has become a determining factor in how ethnic relations got established in Latvia and politicians still are cultivating it. Mr Rozenvalds believes that Russian speakers are involved in the political process insufficiently and therefore they lose motivation to live here and often emigrate from the country. Mr Rozenvalds believes that currently Latvia stands at crossroads when the two strong ethnic communities should decide whether they will go deeper in confrontation or choose pragmatic peaceful co-existing.

On 16 October, internet portal politika.lv in co-operation with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung is organising a discussion “Preschool education only in Latvian. Needless, too early or the last moment?” The aim of the discussion is to negotiate the proposal of the nationalists’ union to transfer all state funded kindergartens into Latvian language only. Latvijas Avize

The Saeima’s faction of the Concord Centre criticizes the draft Preamble to the Constitution of Latvia stating that its authors want to change the spirit and intent of the Constitution by splitting the Latvian people on ethnic lines. According to the Concord Centre the Constitution says that the sovereign power in the state belongs to people but the aim of the Preamble is to establish ethnic democracy on Latvia. Vesti Segodnya

Representative of the Parliament of Unrepresented Aleksandrs Gaponenko is planning to shoot a documentary about Latvian non-citizens. The documentary will show personal stories of non-citizens. Vesti Segodnya

 

• Governing coalition agreed to tighten the system of granting residence permits
• Activists for rights of Russian speakers in Latvia attended the session of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting
• Ambassador of Israel: restitution of Jewish properties is Latvian internal issue

Under the pressure of the nationalists’ union All for Latvia!/FF-LNIM and the threats not to support the state budget for next year, the governing coalition agreed to tighten the system of granting residence permits to foreign investors. According to the agreement, the residence permits further will be granted with quotas. Thus, in 2014, the quotas will include 700 deals with real estate in a value of EUR 150,000-500,000 and 100 deals in value over EUR 500,000.

Vesti Segodnya reports that several activists for rights of Russian speakers in Latvia attended the session of the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting held on 4 October.According a representative of the Parliament of Unrepresented Aleksandrs Gaponenko, at the session he presented a report on ethnic relations and non-citizens in Latvia. Mr Gaponenko asserted that there are ethnic conflicts and repressions in Latvia which concern also such small nation as Latgalians who do not even have education in their own language. Mr Gaponenko also stated that ethnic conflicts in Baltic states have open nature and soon real resistance might raise.

The Ambassador of Israel in Latvia and Lithuania Hagit Ben-Jakov in an interview with Neatkariga stated that Israel do not interfere in the issue of restitution of Jewish properties because it is internal affair and should be solved by the Latvian authorities and local Jewish community. The Ambassador also believes that it is important that Latvians understand what happened during Holocaust in Latvia, about Latvian citizens who were brutally killed by Nazis and some local collaborators. 

• Nils Usakovs: Healthy local patriotism leads to effective all-Latvian patriotism

 

Latvijas Avize interviewed the Mayor of Riga Nils Usakovs (Concord Centre). According to Mr. Usakovs, the goal of the Concord Centre in the upcoming Saeima's elections is to repeat at the national level the experience of his party in Riga municipality. In particular, Mr. Usakovs believes that the coalition Honour to Serve Riga / Concord Centre was the first successful example of joint Latvian- and Russian- speaking politicians being supported by the electorate, ethnic Latvians, Russians and others alike. He believes one should focus on topical issues beyond ethnicity and there are plenty of unresolved problems at the national level - in economics, demography, social sphere. Mr. Usakovs believes the Nationalist Union are likely to retain their representation in the parliament at present level, while Vladimirs Lindermans has no support by the voters. According to Mr Usakovs, the recently announced decision to reduce the price of public transportation for residents of Riga is motivated by economic considerations.