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Minority issues in Latvia

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A bi-weekly electronic newsletter
Published by the Latvian Human Rights Committee (F.I.D.H.)
Issued since June 1999

 
Year 2003 Year 1999 Year 2000 Year 2001 Year 2002 Year 2004

Content - The President and the Minister for Foreign Affairs: the Framework Convention is not to be ratified now - Orthodox Christmas - to be or not to be the official holiday? - "Language alert" in Rezekne - Right-wing MP asks for comments on TV in Latvian only - Latvia as a racist country - Russia donates books to Russian-language schools in Latvia - EU and minorities: divided they stand? Content - Education reform 2004: different opinions inside the ruling coalition? - Delegation of the PACE Monitoring Committee visits Latvia: "a slight quandary" declared - Latvia on the way to the European Union: minority issues - Draft law on voting rights for non-citizens: is non-citizen a human being? - Naturalisation issues - to be considered by courts - Camp for illegal immigrants - punishment for not changing ID - School Olympiad as a disintegrating factor? - The concept of bilingual education remains unclear - How to prevent a state from occurring of a civil society - New online publications on minority issues Content - Ratification of the Framework Convention - better late than never? - "Language quotas" for private broadcasting topical again - The Cabinet approves the state budget: minority-related allocations - Amendments to the naturalisation regulations submitted - Ethnicity record: excluded in one document, remains in others? - Seminar on the Framework Convention for minority NGOs - Camp for illegal immigrants in Olaine - New articles on ethnic policy at politika.lv Content - Discussion about ratification of FCNM continues - Can anything stop the minority education reform? - The only pro-minority parliamentary faction splits - News of legislation: more restrictions for non-citizens? - Minister for Interior: minorities are more "criminalized"? - Application on "education reform 2004" declared inadmissible by ECHR - Chairman of the Board of the Society Integration Foundation elected - Latvian non-citizens in the EU: non-citizens of the EU? - "Eurovision" song contest to be translated into Latvian? Content - The education reform: a lustrum in two years - EP Committee evaluates Latvia's application for EU membership - Society Integration Foundation allocates funds for ethnic integration - ECHR will consider the case Zhdanok v. Latvia - The Parliament rejects proposal on Orthodox Easter and Christmas as holidays - New pro-minority initiatives of NGOs - New state language institution to be established - Language splits patients and doctors - MP: Latvia needs a strong army to get rid of occupants - The first Latvian Jewish Congress held - Experimental Roma class in Riga State Technical College
Content - Minority cultural organizations fight for the state financial support - The Latvian democracy pattern: everything permitted but protests - Consultative council on ethnic affairs established - Education reform: a democracy test - News of legislation: more rights for the EU citizens, not Latvian non-citizens - Broadcasting in minority languages still 'quoted' in Latvia - 'Union of Citizens and Non-citizens' asks for visa-free regime for non-citizens - Language violation in the field of humour - The Supreme Court makes the Freedom Party excuse - The first national conference on racial discrimination held - Framework Convention: dividing Latvians and Russians? - Minority Convention: reservations are to be duly considered - Annual LCHRES report presented Content - "Education reform 2004" - the problem getting hot - Non-citizens in the EU: Minister Muiznieks discovers "secret of Polichinelle" - Latvian language courses: free of charge for naturalisation applicants Content - Minority education reform: pros and cons - Our commentary Content - Meeting against the minority education reform: no incidents, no dialogue - Authorities pressured schools principals not to participate in the meeting - The Minister for Integration: contributing to producing democracy on export? - Attitude towards the meeting: division along ideological lines - Penalizing hate speech in Internet: on a way to precedent? - Non-citizens in the EU: state asks to limit the rights of its residents? - Citizenship of Latvia: children are not welcomed? Content - Minority education reform: more protest actions, no results - Language quotas for private broadcasting abolished by Constitutional court - Social exclusion and HIV among ethnic minority youth - Ethnicity record: whose choice? - Non-naturalisation as an indicator of a two-community state? - Radical nationalism: to be combated or supported? - Presentation of the Ministry of Integration - Opinion poll: two-community society in Latvia - The governments action plan in the field of minority protection: will new times come?
Content - 'Education reform 2004': law amended, problem not solved - Attacks on the Secretariat of the Minister for Integration - Does education in minority languages exist in Europe? - Naturalisation becomes slower and slower - Switch to professional army could foster naturalisation - The Society Integration Foundation allocates financial support within the Phare framework - Non-citizens on Latvia's membership in the EU - Nationalism and anti-Semitism: good and bad racism? - The education reform as the state’s help in developing Russian identity? - Essay contest: minister does not accept other viewpoints - Roma in Latvia: victims of discrimination - Minister comments on criticism Content - 'Education reform 2004': new mass rally, still no dialogue - UN CERD adopts Concluding Observations on Latvia - Attacks on the Minister for Integration to be continued? - Language examinations for foreigners: requirements to be adopted - Non-citizens: how to travel within the EU? - Human rights activist is fighting for his name - Conference 'Russians in Latvia - Russians in Europe': benefits and losses of Eurointegration - 'There lives a Latvian in each Russian' - Ilmars Latkovskis: deadlock of integration - Features of nationalism in the Latvian- and Russian-language press Content - 'Education reform 2004': amendments adopted, tensions remain - Research on minority children in Latvian-language schools: scientific or political approach? - News of legislation: non-citizens' issues - Naturalization to become more accessible? - Latvian language courses cause dissatisfaction - NGO: no need in the Latvian language courses free of charge? - Private media wish to broadcast in minority languages - Non-citizens at student EU-referendum: first lesson on voting Content - 'Education reform 2004': schoolchildren appeal to PACE - Recommendations by PACE: FCNM will be ratified? - 'A little bit' of xenophobia in Latvia's EU accession campaign - Vandalism act on Jewish cemetery - The Cabinet approves draft state budget: minority-related allocations - Minority names' spelling: new regulations, old rules? - The Cabinet adopts legal acts affecting minorities - Representatives of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visit Latvia - Latvian-language and Russian-language press: divided they stand - Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies receives the Max van der Stoel Award Content - ECHR: a violation is declared in the case Slivenko v. Latvia - CoE Human Rights Commissioner's recommendations: who cares? - The Education Inspection controls activities of minority schoolchildren - New body for protection of the state language to be created - Use or misuse of ethnic factor? - Naturalisation: more applications last month - Socialist MP infuriates the Parliament - Minorities in foreign policy
Content - Latvian observer in the European Parliament withwdrawn for speaking out on the situation of minorities in Latvia - EU-Russia partnership: Latvia's minority policy as the hurdle - Education reform 2004: protests continue, still no dialogue - News of legislation: Non-Citizens' law tightened, ratification of 12th Protocol to ECHR rejected - EP elections: will lustration be kept? - Anti-Semitic speech not to be prosecuted? - Citizenship Law to be made more beneficial for children - Newly elected National Council on Radio and Television: minority-free again - Language quotas for private broadcasting: ever ended story? - Are ethnic Latvians better-off than minorities? - Conference: bitter truth after 15 years - Loyalty and ethnicity: different views - Minority issues in Latvia, No. 75: the follow-up Content - UN HRC adopts Concluding Observations on Latvia - Withdrawal of the pro-minority observer in EP: the follow-up - European Commission publishes monitoring report: minority issues reflected - Chairperson of the PACE Monitoring Committee visits Latvia: no human rights violations declared - The EU as an incentive for naturalization? - Secretary-General of NATO PA comments on the Russian-language press in Latvia - Minister on vandalism at Russian cemetery: 'We should protect alive people, not dead' - Social Integration Foundation funds the Latvian-language courses - One year of the Minister for Social Integration - The debates on non-citizens enflame after the referendum on the EU Content - Lustration restrictions for MEPs introduced - Education reform 2004: approved by the OSCE? - Could non-citizens work in school? - Minority issues: Latvia in Europe?