Quick links on minority issues in Latvia (mostly language and statelessness). Upd. 2021

[akuzmins]

1. Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs. Naturalization statistics https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en/naturalization (EN) https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/naturalizacija (LV) Other population statistics, which includes distribution of population by nationality (pēc valstiskās piederības), by ethnicity (pēc nacionālā sastāva)& nationality, by year of birth (pēc dzimšanas gada) and nationality, by municipality (pašvaldībās)& ethnicity, by municipality & nationality https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/lv/iedzivotaju-registra-statistika-2020-gada (LV only)"Kopā"="Total"; "Latvietis"="[Ethnic] Latvian", "Krievs"="[Ethnic] Russian","Baltkrievs"="[Ethnic] Belarusian", "Ukrainis"="[Ethnic] Ukrainian", «Polis»=«[Ethnic] Pole», «Ebrejs»=«[Ethnic] Jew», «Latvijas pilsonis»'= «Citizen of Latvia», «Latvijas nepilsonis»= «Non-citizen [a particular local legal status] of Latvia»
2. Central Statistical Bureau. 2011 census results - on languages in Latvia https://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/census/search-in-theme/1442-home-latvian-spoken-62-latvian-population (press release); https://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/census/tables/tsg11-08/resident-population-latvia-main-language-spoken-home (tables); https://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/characteristics/search-in-theme/44-share-resident-population-riga-and-jurmala (maps of Riga and Jurmala cities). 2017 survey results on languages https://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/search-in-theme/2747-latvian-mother-tongue-608-population-latvia
3. Ministry of Education and Science (MES). Annual statistics on the number of general education schools by language of instruction (in Latvian) - see "pa plusmam". "Latviešu"="Latvian [language]"; "krievu"="Russian [language]" (145 schools); "poļu"="Polish [language]" https://www.izm.gov.lv/lv/media/4093/download MES statistics on the number of pupils by language of instruction (in Latvian) - see "pa plusmam" at https://www.izm.gov.lv/lv/media/4099/download Demand for Russian in tertiary education, shown by [then] linguistically free private sector in 2018. Pp. 71-73 https://www.izm.gov.lv/lv/media/2137/download
4. Citizenship Law - http://www.vvc.gov.lv/export/sites/default/docs/LRTA/Likumi/Citizenship_Law.doc . Its 1998-2013 version - http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UNTC/UNPAN018407.pdf
5. Official Language Law - http://www.vvc.gov.lv/export/sites/default/docs/LRTA/Likumi/Official_Language_Law.doc (this law hasn't been amended since its adoption in 1999).
6. Buzayev V. Legal and social situation of the Russian-speaking minority in Latvia. Riga: Averti-R, 2013. ISBN 978-9934-8245-1-7 http://www.russkije.lv/files/images/text/PDF_Files/Legal-and-social-situation.pdf NB In some places, there is a mistranslation - "nationality" is used, where "ethnicity" is needed. See pp. 8 and 13. Latvian Human Riughts Committee booklets: on statelessness http://lhrc.lv/biblioteka/StatelessnessLatviaV1.pdf and on minority schools being under attack http://lhrc.lv/biblioteka/MinorityschoolsLatviaV2.pdf (the latter booklet has been described as "tendentious" in the annual report of the State Security Service for 2019, https://vdd.gov.lv/en/?rt=documents&ac=download&id=55 see p. 22)
7. ECRI reports on Latvia - https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-commission-against-racism-and-intolerance/latvia
8. FCNM Advisory Committee opinions on Latvia - https://www.coe.int/en/web/minorities/latvia
9. Latvia's declarations/reservations to FCNM - http://www.conventions.coe.int/treaty/Commun/ListeDeclarations.asp?PO=LAT&NT=157&MA=999&CV=1&NA=&CN=999&VL=1&CM=5&CL=ENG
10. Declaration on Latvian Legionnaires in World War II (adopted by the Parliament in 1998; downplays the Holocaust; has never been cancelled, despite an opposition attempt to do so) http://www.nacionalaapvieniba.lv/valodas/declaration-on-latvian-legionnaires-in-world-war-ii/ (EN) https://www.nacionalaapvieniba.lv/valodas/%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%BE-%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%88%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%85-%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%85-%D0%B2%D0%BE/ (RU)
11. Education Law https://likumi.lv/ta/en/en/id/50759-education-law 2018 Amendments to the Law On Institutions of Higher Education (excerpts) http://minorities-latvia.info/2018/06/21/amendments-to-the-law-on-institutions-of-higher-education-excerpts-2018/ Cabinet regulation No. 716 of 21.11.2018 (on pre-schools; excerpts) http://minorities-latvia.info/2018/11/21/cabinet-regulation-no-716-of-21-11-2018-on-pre-schools-excerpts/ .
12. Constitutional Court judgments on education (see laws above): http://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/wp-content/uploads/2004/08/2004-18-0106_Spriedums_ENG.pdf (2005, on restrictions of minority language use in public schools, see in particular para. 13, ignored in later CC case-law); https://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/web/viewer.html?file=/wp-content/uploads/2005/02/2005-02-0106_Spriedums_ENG.pdf (2005, on denial of co-funding to private minority schools); https://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/web/viewer.html?file=%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F07%2F2018-12-01-12.-Saeimas-dep_latvie%C5%A1u-valoda-valsts-skol%C4%81s_ENG.pdf (2019, on additional restrictions of minority language use in public schools; see in particular ignoring international human rights bodies' findings at para. 23.2); http://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/web/viewer.html?file=/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Judgment-in-the-case-2018-22-01_EN-1.pdf (2019, on additional restrictions of minority language use in private schools); https://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/web/viewer.html?file=/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-12-01_Spriedums.pdf (2020, on restrictions of minority language use in private tertiary education; full judgment available in Latvian only yet; press-release in English at https://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/en/press-release/norms-that-provide-that-the-language-of-instruction-in-study-programmes-of-private-institutions-of-higher-education-is-the-official-language-are-incompatible-with-article-112-and-article-113-of-the-s/ ); http://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019-20-03_Spriedums-1.pdf (2020, on restrictions of minority language use in kindergartens; see in particular ignoring international human rights bodies' findings at para. 18.3; full judgment available in Latvian only yet; press-release in English at https://www.satv.tiesa.gov.lv/en/press-release/the-norms-that-determine-the-language-of-instruction-in-pre-school-institutions-comply-with-the-satversme/ , excerpt translated at http://minorities-latvia.info/2020/06/19/constitutional-court-judgment-on-kindergartens-excerpts-2020/ )
13. UN documents on human rights in Latvia https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/LVIndex.aspx OSCE documents on human rights in Latvia: by the Representative on Freedom of the Media https://www.osce.org/fom/statements?filters=+im_taxonomy_vid_5:(230)&solrsort=ds_date%20desc&rows=10 ; by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/latvia/
14. Declaration of the Intended Activities of the Cabinet of Ministers Headed by Krišjānis Kariņš (current, as at 2021) https://www.mk.gov.lv/sites/default/files/editor/declaration_of_the_intended_activities_of_the_cabinet_of_ministers.pdf See para. 160 on education language. Guidelines of National Identity, Civil Society and Society Integration Policy (2012-2018) https://www.km.gov.lv/uploads/ckeditor/files/Sabiedribas_integracija/Petijumi/En_Pamatnostad.pdf & https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/?action=media.download&uuid=FC1EF2DD-DD7F-5A75-7E6F1CA7140E9CDA See the presentation as «non-citizens», often born in Latvia (see ACFC/SR/II(2012)002; p. 67), as «immigrants» at p. 6