Saeima refused proposal to exempt elderly people from state language proficiency test required for permanent residency permit

Mayor of Riga Janis Birks refused to bring apologies to the Concord Centre for a video clip created by his party

Vesti Segodnya reports that yesterday, the Saeima has refused draft amendments to the Emigration Law proposed by the faction For Human Rights in United Latvia exempting elderly people from taking the state language proficiency test required for permanent residency permit. Recently, the newspaper reported about an 88-year-old woman, Ukrainian citizen, who lives in Latvia since 1994, however, due to her age, the woman is not able to pass the language test in order to receive permanent residency permit.

Vesti Segodnya prints an article according to which nationalism is the reason of economic crisis in Latvia. An entrepreneur interviewed by the newspaper believes that Latvia is affected by such deep crisis because ethnic Latvian politicians constantly refused to co-operate with Russia and excluded Russian speaking residents from the state structures.

Janis Birks, the Mayor of Riga City Council and a member of For Fatherland and Freedom/LNIM refused to bring apologies to the Concord Centre (SC) for a video clip created by his party. As reported, the SC accused the FF/LNIM of incitement to ethnic hatred for a video clip according to which the SC intends to undermine basic values and ideology of Latvian state and to Russify Latvia. The SC’s members of Riga City Council demanded that the Mayor should apologise or face removal from the post. Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize

For further information:

Latvian Centre for Human Rights