Lativia MP states parents raided following Russian-language scandal
(MENAFN) A Latvian politician has alleged that authorities raided his parents’ home to intimidate him for defending the linguistic rights of ethnic Russians in the country. Alexey Roslikov, who is currently under investigation for “inciting hatred” following a speech in parliament, was briefly detained and released on Monday.
During his address to the Saeima earlier this month, Roslikov criticized the Latvian government’s treatment of its Russian minority — nearly a quarter of the population — and finished his speech in Russian. His use of the Russian language went against a May ruling that all parliamentary speeches must be made in Latvian.
The authorities responded by investigating him for allegedly helping a “aggressor state”— a reference to Russia — against Latvia. The State Security Service (VDD) subsequently carried out searches at properties tied to Roslikov, according to local media reports.
Members of his party, For Stability!, confirmed his brief detention. Roslikov later said in a video that a travel ban has been placed on him and alleged the authorities were trying to pressure him by investigating his family.
“They came to search not just my home but my parents’ home as well; they turned everything upside down,” Roslikov said. He insisted there was no basis for the charges and dismissed the notion that standing up for Russian speakers constitutes a crime.
Roslikov made his final parliamentary speech on June 5 and resigned from the Saeima days later upon being elected to Riga’s city council. His resignation meant losing his parliamentary immunity, which made him vulnerable to investigation.
Latvia, alongside its neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, has implemented tough measures against people suspected of having ties to Russia in the wake of the Ukraine conflict. Among these policies are mandatory Latvian language exams for ethnic Russians; many who fail or opt not to take the exams have been deported.
Moscow has condemned these policies as unfair and motivated by nationalist sentiment against Russian speakers in the Baltics.
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