Latvian parliament adopts amendments on minority languages, restricting use of Russian

The Latvian parliament, known as the Saeima, passed amendments on Monday, October 1, restricting the use of Russian in public-service media. The vote was 55 in favor and 24 against. Public-service media were previously mandated to produce content in minority languages. In March 2026, Latvia's Constitutional Court ruled that Russian is a self-sufficient minority language, meaning the state does not need to provide extra support for it.

This decision came after the court emphasized that content from public broadcasters should primarily be in Latvian. The court defined a self-sufficient minority language as one spoken by a significant proportion of the population and supported by cultural organizations and media outlets. Russia's widespread use in Latvia and the existence of commercial broadcasters producing Russian content prompted the court to make this ruling.

The previous requirement imposed on public-service media contributed to the creation of a parallel information space and weakened Latvian's status as the country's sole official language. Following a change of government, the Saeima started implementing the court's ruling, resulting in the amendments to the law. Public-service media can now produce content in languages classified as self-sufficient, such as Russian, only in three specific circumstances: the third exception allows for the consideration of national security threats, according to the principle of proportionality.