Moskalkova will appeal to the UN because of the threat of eviction of Russians from Latvia

Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova reportedthat he will appeal to the UN and the Council of Europe (CE) because of the situation around the Latvian language exam, which must be passed by Russians living in Latvia with a residence permit.

On September 5, the media reported that 61% of the 25,316 Russian citizens who signed up for the Latvian language exam failed the first time.

Moskalkova drew attention to the fact that most of these people are pensioners who have lived in Latvia since the Soviet era. It is not easy for them to pass such an exam, and if they fail again, they will be deported.

“I believe that the deliberate creation of conditions that force citizens to leave Latvia is a gross violation of human rights. I will appeal to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović with a request to pay attention to the violation of the rights of our compatriots, especially the elderly,” she wrote in her Telegram channel.

From April 11 to August 29 for the Latvian language exam registered 13,147 Russians, but 11,301 people showed up for the test. Of these, 7383 people registered for the first stage, 3918 people for the second. Applications for re-testing, which will be held from September 4 to November 30, were submitted by 6,501 people.

In September 2022, the Latvian Seimas approved amendments according to which the period of permanent residence permits issued to Russians expires on September 1, 2023. In order to stay in Latvia, it is necessary, among other things, to confirm knowledge of the state language at level A2. In August 2023, the Latvian government instructed the Ministry of the Interior to prepare amendments to the immigration law, according to which Russian citizens living in Latvia will be able to obtain a temporary residence permit for two years. During this time, they must pass an exam in the knowledge of the Latvian language.