Within the Republic of Latvia live the Latvian nation, the ancient indigenous nationality, the Livs, as well as other nationalities and ethnic groups.

This law is adopted to guarantee to all nationalities and ethnic groups in the Republic of Latvia the rights to cultural autonomy and self-determination of their culture.

1. Residents of the Republic of Latvia are guaranteed, regardless of their nationality, equal human rights which correspond to international standards.

2. Every permanent resident of the Republic of Latvia has the right to freely indicate his / her nationality or to restore his / her nationality in official documents, in accordance with his / her national self-awareness.

3. The Republic of Latvia guarantees to all permanent residents in the Republic, regardless of their nationality. equal rights to work and wages. Any direct or indirect actions to restrict, based on nationality, the opportunities of permanent residents to choose their profession or to choose a trade based on their corresponding skills and qualifications, are prohibited.

4. The government and administrative institutions of the Republic of Latvia are responsible for the preservation of the national identity and historical cultural environment of Latvia's ancient indigenous nationality, the Livs, and for the renewal and development of the socio-economic infrastructure of their inhabited territories.

5. All permanent residents of the Republic of Latvia are guaranteed the right to establish their own national societies, associations and organisations. The government's responsibility is to promote their activity and material provisions.

6. The obligations of national societies, associations and organisations are to work within the framework of the laws of the Republic of Latvia and to respect Latvia's sovereignty and indivisibility.

7. All nationalities and ethnic groups are guaranteed the right to name their representatives to, and participate in the work of the Consultative Nationalities Council of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Latvia, and through its intermediary role to participate in the drafting of laws of the Republic of Latvia.

8. All permanent residents of the Republic of Latvia are guaranteed the right to observe their own national traditions, to use their national symbols and to commemorate their national holidays.

9. The Republic of Latvia guarantees to all its permanent residents the right to free[y maintain contacts with their fellow countrymen in their historic homeland and in other countries, as well as the right to freely travel from and return to Latvia in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Latvia. 10. The governments institutions of the republic of Latvia should promote the creation of material conditions for the development of the education, language and culture of the nationalities and ethnic groups residing within Latvia's territory, foreseeing defined sums from the government's budget for such purposes. Issues regarding the education of nationalities and ethnic groups are governed by the Education Law of the Republic of Latvia. National societies have the right to develop their own national educational institutions with their own resources.

11. The Republic of Latvia, based on international agreements, should promote the opportunities for its permanent residents to receive higher education in their native language outside of Latvia.

12. All nationalities and ethnic groups have the right to freely develop their own professional and amateur artistic expressions.

13. National societies, associations and organisations have the right to use government mass media resources, as well as to publish and distribute national periodicals and literature.

14. Members of national cultural societies, associations and organisations have the right to undertake entrepreneurial activities in accordance with the laws o0f the Republic of Latvia.

15. The government protects all national, historical and cultural monuments and objects within the territory of the Republic of Latvia.

16. Any activity directed toward nationality discrimination or the promotion of national superiority or national hatred is punishable in accordance with existing law.

Signed by A. Gorbunovs, chairman: I. Daudiss, secretary of the Supreme Council, Riga, March 19, 1991.

Source:
photocopy from original from the Popular Front of Latvia .