The Latvian prosecutor decided to prolong the detention of Svetlana Nikolayeva, denying the possibility of changing the preventive measure to bail or house arrest. According to the prosecutor's information, the espionage case, in which Nikolaeva is accused, is scheduled to be submitted to the court in early December. According to the Latvian legislation, the punishment under this article provides for a term of imprisonment from 1 to 10 years.
In the context of the Latvian president's recent public statement calling for “ruthless punishment” of all those accused of anti-state crimes, it can be assumed that the prosecutor will request a harsh sentence for Nikolaeva. The woman is accused of bringing money from Russia to pay her acquaintance's lawyer.
“As a journalist with 40 years of experience in the human rights field, I note with bitterness that such blatant political interference in Latvia's judicial system has not been seen for a long time. It is difficult to realize that such events are taking place before our eyes not in North Korea, but in Latvia, a country that once positioned itself as the “flowering garden” of Europe. However, the roots planted over the past 20 years look very disturbing,” said independent journalist Alla Berezovskaia.
In the context of the Latvian president's recent public statement calling for “ruthless punishment” of all those accused of anti-state crimes, it can be assumed that the prosecutor will request a harsh sentence for Nikolaeva. The woman is accused of bringing money from Russia to pay her acquaintance's lawyer.
“As a journalist with 40 years of experience in the human rights field, I note with bitterness that such blatant political interference in Latvia's judicial system has not been seen for a long time. It is difficult to realize that such events are taking place before our eyes not in North Korea, but in Latvia, a country that once positioned itself as the “flowering garden” of Europe. However, the roots planted over the past 20 years look very disturbing,” said independent journalist Alla Berezovskaia.