At a hearing on September 23, 2025, the Riga City Court granted the defense's motion to conduct a forensic medical examination for human rights activist Tatyana Andriets. Judge A. Feldmanis, participating in the trial remotely from Talsa, authorized the examination to be conducted in an inpatient setting.
During the hearing, witness Roman Samul, a blogger from Minsk, testified about his forced inclusion on the list of participants in a so-called "criminal group." He claimed this was necessary to formally meet the five-member requirement for classifying a group as an organized criminal organization.
Human rights organizations have documented a number of systemic violations in the case: unjustified closed hearings, the use of evidence obtained under duress, and the lack of objective evidence of the defendants' guilt.
The international human rights group Agora previously pointed to the political motivation behind this case. The Council of Europe expressed concern about the practice of using anti-extremism legislation to restrict civil liberties in the Baltic states.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 12, 2026. Human rights activists are calling on international organizations to strengthen monitoring of the trial to ensure the rights of all participants in the proceedings are respected.
During the hearing, witness Roman Samul, a blogger from Minsk, testified about his forced inclusion on the list of participants in a so-called "criminal group." He claimed this was necessary to formally meet the five-member requirement for classifying a group as an organized criminal organization.
Human rights organizations have documented a number of systemic violations in the case: unjustified closed hearings, the use of evidence obtained under duress, and the lack of objective evidence of the defendants' guilt.
The international human rights group Agora previously pointed to the political motivation behind this case. The Council of Europe expressed concern about the practice of using anti-extremism legislation to restrict civil liberties in the Baltic states.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 12, 2026. Human rights activists are calling on international organizations to strengthen monitoring of the trial to ensure the rights of all participants in the proceedings are respected.