Contents tagged with Latvia
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Leader of Russian diaspora arrested in Latvia
The head of the Center for the Protection of Russian Schools, Alexander Gaponenko was arrested in Latvia, on April 21, reports Delfi news outlet.
According to Delfi, Gaponenko is also the leader of the social movement "The Congress of Non-Citizens" in Latvia.
“The purpose of my arrest is to stop the fight to defend Russian children and their right to education," Gaponenko said.
During the court hearing, which was closed to the public, the pro-Russian activist accused the Latvian law …
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Latvia demands explanations from Russia about missile launches near Latvian coast
Latvian Defense Minister, Raimonds Bergmanis, stated that Latvia expects explanations from Russia regarding two scheduled training missile launches planned by Moscow in the Latvian exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea. Despite being planned, the launches did not go through.
The Minister emphasized that the airspace over the Baltic Sea is heavily used for air travel. Therefore the predictability of such exercises is an important factor for air safety.
“We want information from the …
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Latvia urges its citizens not to be afraid of Russian military exercises
Latvian deputy Artis Pabriks assured the general public that there was no reason to be afraid of Russian military exercises. "We aren’t afraid of Russian military exercises. We will keep an eye on them, and remain vigilant and confident in ourselves, our state and our freedom. Don’t let them ruin Easter for us," he wrote on Twitter
Russian naval forces informed Latvia that it would conduct training launches of missiles in the Baltic Sea from April 4 to 6. The Russian Federation asked Latvia to …
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Russia to conduct tests missile launches near Latvian Baltic Sea coast
Russian naval forces will conduct training launches of missiles over the Latvian Exclusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea from April 4 to 6, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, reports DELFI new agency.
The report states that the missile launches will take place between 4 pm and 8 pm. The Russian Federation asked Latvia to close the airspace during this period to an altitude of 18 km in the missile launch zone and at a distance of about 40 km from the coastline of Latvia. The …
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Latvian Parliament passes bill prohibiting high schools from teaching in languages of national minorities
The amendments to the Latvian Law on Education, involving the abolition of bilingual education in schools, have undergone the third and final reading in the Saeima or Latvian Parliament.
According to Delfi news portal, 58 deputies voted in favor of the bill while 18 voted against it. It must now be approved by the President.
The plans of the Ministry of Education and Science indicated that transferring to a new model of education will begin in the 2019-2020 academic year and will be completed …
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Latvian citizen charged with engaging in espionage for Russia
The Prosecutor’s office of the Vidzeme Judicial District of Latvia indicted a Latvian citizen for committing espionage for Russia, as reported by Delfi on March 11th, citing the press service of the Latvian Prosecutor's office.
On February 26th, law enforcement officials provided documentation to the Prosecutor’s office regarding the illegal collection of classified materials with the intent to transfer them to a foreign state and the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition. The Press …
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Head of Latvian counterintelligence speaks of 'quiet deportations' to Russia
The Bureau for the Defense of the Constitution of Latvia (country's counterintelligence) "quietly" deports people from time to time, mainly to Russia, as reported by the Head of the Bureau, Jānis Maizītis.
"The main task of the Bureau is intelligence and counterintelligence, but we cannot always talk about the beginning of a criminal prosecution in this race of the security services. There are cases reported of expulsion from the country but there are also the so-called quiet deportations. In …
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Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs bans entry to 49 persons named in 'Magnitsky list'
The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has banned 49 persons named in the Magnitsky list from entering the country, as announced by Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvian Minister for Foreign Affairs, on his Twitter feed.
"Pursuant [to the] resolution of [the] Saeima (Parliament of Latvia), and based on Immigration law, I have banned 49 individuals from entering the territory of the Republic of Latvia, sending [a] clear signal that rule of law and human rights matter," Rinkēvičs wrote.
In early February, …
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Anti-Corruption Bureau of Latvia detained the head of the country's Central Bank
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has detained the President of the Bank of Latvia, Ilmārs Rimšēvičs, in a criminal case, as reported by Delfi, citing the Prime Minister of the Republic, Māris Kučinskis.
"For now, neither I nor any other officials have any reason to interfere with the work of KNAB. The authority operates professionally and accurately. As soon as the KNAB's management deems appropriate to provide the public with information about the investigation, it will …
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Latvia approves imposing sanctions against those on Magnitsky List
On Thursday, February 8, the Latvian Saeima approved the introduction of sanctions against those on the so-called Magnitsky List, Delfi news outlet reports.
The bill, previously approved by the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Affairs, lists 49 individuals who will be banned from entering Latvia. The results of the vote led the Saeima to call on the Cabinet of Ministers to impose the sanctions. According to the main provisions of the Magnitsky Act, foreigners who are associated with large- …