Puntulis orders culture institutions to stop using Russian in public space by July 30

Nauris Puntulis, the Minister of Culture of Latvia and a member of the National Alliance party, has signed a directive mandating that all institutions under the Ministry of Culture must discontinue the use of the Russian language in public spaces. The institutions have been given a deadline of July 30 of this year to comply with the requirement.

The order applies to all forms of public signage, information provision, and other uses of the Russian language within these institutions. The minister emphasizes that this step is part of reinforcing the state language policy and strengthening the role of Latvian as the sole official language.

Institutions will need to review their internal regulations and practices to ensure compliance with the new requirements. The Ministry of Culture plans to monitor the implementation of the order and, if necessary, impose sanctions for non-compliance.

The decision has sparked widespread public reaction, particularly among Latvia's Russian-speaking community. Some view it as a necessary measure to protect the state language, while others criticize it as discriminatory. However, the minister insists that the order is lawful and conforms to the Latvian Constitution and the State Language Law.