Integration and Minority Information Service: newsletter of 2 March 2009

Vesti Segodnya reports about a study “Russian Language and Culture in Mixed Families in the Baltic Countries”

U.S. State Department report on human rights in Latvia in 2008: human rights of Latvian citizens and non-citizens are generally respected

Vesti Segodnya reports about a study “Russian Language and Culture in Mixed Families in the Baltic Countries” conducted with support of the foundation “Russian World.” According to the study, percentage of ethnically mixed families in Latvia is the highest among the Baltic countries. In 2000, there were 280 mixed marriages for every 1000 marriages in Latvia (in Lithuania there were 137 marriages and in Estonia – 175.) The biggest problem for interethnic families is choosing language of instruction for children. In Latvia, children in Russian-Latvian families where main communication language is Russian usually speak fluent Latvian, while, in families where main communication language is Latvian, children speak Russian poorly.

Vesti Segodnya reports that according to the U.S. State Department report on human rights in Latvia in 2008, human rights of Latvian citizens and non-citizens are generally respected. At the same, problems with observation of human rights remain in other fields.

Link to check:

2008 Human Rights Report: Latvia - http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eur/119087.htm