Integration and Minority Information Service: newsletter of 12 January 2009

12 January, 2009

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticizes Latvia for severe state language policy

The Supreme Court of Latvia has sentenced a neo-Nazi Andris Jordans to two years and one month of imprisonment for incitement to ethnic hatred thus increasing by seven months the sentence issued by the first instance court. As reported, criminal proceedings against Andris Jordans were opened by the Prosecutor’s Office in February 2007 after Andris Jordans, at a public discussion, has stated that Jews and Roma people are ‘non-humans’ and it would be preferable to exterminate them. In March 2008, Andris Jordans was sentenced to one year and six months of imprisonment. Chas, Latvijas Avize

The President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers has stated that in future he will speak only in Latvian language at public events and to Russian speaking journalists. In an interview with Telegraf political scientist Ivars Ijabs believes that such President’s decision is a result of pressure from ethnic Latvian political community. In 2008, the refusal to speak in Russian was declared by several MPs and ministers. Vesti Segodnya, Telegraf

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticizes Latvia for toughening of state language policy. Recently, the President of Latvia has approved the amendments to the Administrative Violation Code stipulating increase of fines for insufficient usage of Latvian language and usage of foreign languages (mainly Russian) at work. According to a representative of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such policy is a violation of rights of ethnic minorities in Latvia and is aimed at exclusion of Russian language from all spheres of public and business life of the country. Telegraf, Latvijas Avize

For further information:

Latvian Center for Human Rights