Latvia initiates prosecution against a Russian -speaking deputy
Latvia announced on Monday having initiated criminal proceedings against the deputy Aleksejs Roslikovs for having supported Russia and fomented hatred with his fellow citizens.
The Intelligence of the State Security Service (VDD) said that this decision followed a parliamentary debate on June 5 during which Mr. Roslikovs, a member of the Russian -speaking minority, was expelled from the hemicycle. According to Latvian media, he had shouted in Russian: “We are the majority! »» And “Russian is our language!” »»
He is suspected of having “Helped the aggressive state that is Russia to carry out actions directed against Latvia and to arouse national hatred and enmity”explained the VDD.
If he is found guilty, he risks up to five years in prison.
The debate in Parliament followed the decision of Latvia, taken after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army in 2022, to force the Russian speakers residing on its territory to succeed in an examination intended to assess their knowledge of the Latvian language under penalty of being expelled.
In 2025, around 23 % of the 1.8 million inhabitants of this Baltic country described themselves as a Russian ethnic group, according to the National Statistics Office. Mr. Roslikovs leads the party for stability! (Stabilitātei!), Which defends the interests of the Russian minority and which obtained ten seats in Parliament in the elections of 2022.
Source: Lemonde