Latvia Launches Criminal Proceedings Against Lawmaker for Allegedly Supporting Russia
Law enforcement authorities in Latvia said Monday that they had initiated criminal proceedings against lawmaker Aleksejs Rosļikovs for supporting Russia and inciting hatred.
The investigation stems from a June 5 parliamentary debate during which Rosļikovs, a member of Latvia’s Russian-speaking minority, was ejected from the chamber after shouting in Russian: “We are the majority!” and “Russian is our language,” according to Latvian media.
Rosļikovs is accused of “providing assistance to the aggressor state Russia in action directed against Latvia and triggering national hatred and enmity,” Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) intelligence agency said
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
The parliamentary debate last week came in response to Latvia’s decision to require certain Russian-speaking residents to pass a Latvian language exam or face deportation.
As of 2025, ethnic Russians make up roughly 23% of Latvia’s 1.8 million people, according to the country’s statistics agency. The language exam requirement applies only to a portion of that group.
Rosļikovs leads the For Stability! party, which advocates for the rights of Latvia’s Russian-speaking minority. The Eurosceptic party won 10 seats in the 2022 parliamentary elections.
In a Facebook video, Rosļikovs said the accusations against him were politically motivated and stemmed from his fight “for truth and justice,” adding that he was “defending part of the population that lives in Latvia.”
The For Stability! party did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.
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