Today news:

 Vesti Segodnya interviews ethnic Latvian entrepreneur who criticizes ethnic Latvians for their derogatory attitude towards Russians

Telegraf reports that the draft amendments to the Law on State Pensions elaborated by the Ministry of Welfare stipulating equal approach to calculation of pensions to citizens and non-citizens of Latvia will apply only on those non-citizens pensioners who will retire after the draft amendments will come into force, probably on 1 January 2010. Pensions of non-citizens retired before this date will not be re-calculated. As reported, the Ministry of Welfare elaborated such amendments after the European Court of Human Rights issued ruling in favour of a Latvian pensioner, non-citizen Natalija Andrejeva who objected the fact that the years of her employment during the Soviet times at an enterprise located in Latvia but registered in Moscow and Kiev is not included in the total length of service on the ground that she does not have Latvian citizenship.

Chas reports that yesterday, the European Parliament approved a report on activities of the Petitions Committee in 2008, which includes concern about the fact that Latvian non-citizens do not have voting rights in municipal elections.

Vesti Segodnya prints an interview with an ethnic Latvian entrepreneur who criticizes ethnic Latvians for their derogatory attitude towards Russia and Russian residents living in Latvia. The entrepreneur believes that ethnic Latvians should improve relations with Russians in order to save the country’s future.

For further information:

Latvian Centre for Human Rights