Integration and Minority Information Service: newsletter of 10 March 2009

Today news:

 State Border Guard Service: every day the border guards detain 5-6 persons who attempt to enter Latvia illegally

The Riga City Council forbade all public events near the Monument of Liberty in Riga on 16 March (unofficial commemoration day of Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires). The City Council based its decision on recommendations of law enforcement bodies, including the Security Police, according to which there is danger of possible mass clashes and disturbances because of a number of factors, such as political instability, social-economical crisis, 13 January events, radicalisation of society. According to newspapers, all the organisations which planned to arrange events on 16 March (anti-fascist organisations and organisations supporting legionnaires) are planning to appeal the Council’s decision in the court. The newspapers also report that a number of Latvian residents living in London are planning to hold a manifestation against the marches of former Latvian Waffen SS legionnaires in Riga near the Latvian Embassy in U.K. on 16 March. Chas, Vesti Segodnya, Latvijas Avize, Telegraf

Chas prints an interview with the head of the President’s Advisory Council of Ethnic Minorities Romualds Razuks. According to Mr. Razuks, the Council’s task is to mark the main problems of ethnic minorities and to help the President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers to launch a dialogue between ethnic Latvians and ethnic minorities in order to consolidate the society.

Vesti Segodnya reports that the management of a children’s toys shop “Lacuks” regrets the situation reported by the newspaper on 4 March. The shop sold a children’s game with usage instruction only in Latvian at a discount price while the same game with the instruction in Russian was sold at the original price. Shop’s management states they never sorted people by ethnic affiliation and this misunderstanding was caused by technical mistake because the game with Russian instruction has different commercial code and a salesperson was not aware of it.

According to a representative of the State Border Guard Service, every day the border guards detain 5-6 persons who attempt to enter Latvia illegally. The number of such violators in 2008 has grown by 80 % as compared to 2007. More than 40 persons were placed in the centre for illegal migrants in Olaine and in other police detention facilities recently. Vesti Segodnya

For further information:

Latvian Centre for Human Rights