• Telegraf reports that Russia’s NGO “Russkie” begun issuing “card of Russian” to Russian compatriots in Baltic countries, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova
• Diena prints an article about the Ombudsman Romans Apsitis

Telegraf reports that Russia’s NGO “Russkie” begun issuing “card of Russian” to Russian compatriots in Baltic countries, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova. Such initiative is negatively evaluated by the Security Police of Latvia and will be reviewed at the meeting of Saeima’s National Security Committee. According to a representative of the Security Police, spread of such cards looks like political process aimed at splitting Latvian residents on different categories and it might endanger integration process and naturalisation. The director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris considers that such initiative is acceptable only if it does not have any political subtext and does not become an instrument of interference in Latvian internal affairs. According to the head of the United Congress of Russian Community in Latvia Aleksandrs Gaponenko, the “card of Russian” is initiative of Russia’s NGO and has no relation to activities of Russian government.

Diena prints an article about the Ombudsman Romans Apsitis. In an interview with the newspaper, the MP Ainars Latkovskis (a key person in elaboration of the Law on Ombudsman) states that activities of the Ombudsman do not fulfil the idea of the Ombudsman’s Office because it continues to deal mostly with the same issues as the National Human Rights Office despite the fact that budget and capacity of the Ombudsman’s Office are much greater. Mr. Latkovskis believes that the conflict in the Ombudsman’s Office arose because of low moral authority of Mr. Apsitis in the eyes of his employees. Mr. Latkovskis considers a more suitable head of the Office would give a second breath to the institution.