The board of the Russian Union of Latvia (RSL) party issued a statement regarding the trial of Tatjana Andriets and Aleksandrs Zhguns:
- Political repression against dissenters is growing in Latvia, people are being criminally prosecuted just for daring to criticize the policy of the authorities or simply for being subjected to reprisals without any reasonable grounds.
All records of groundlessness and senselessness are broken by the so-called “Baltic antifascists” case, within the framework of which the trial of Tatiana Andriets and Alexander Zhgun, who were imprisoned for several months the year before last, started on May 8. The heinous charge of creating a criminal organization for the purpose of genocide implies imprisonment up to life imprisonment. At the same time, neither Tatiana nor Alexander have anything to do with the “Antifascists of the Baltic States” Telegram channel, which for some reason the investigation has designated as such an organization.
Already at the beginning of the trial it is clear that the court does not strive for any objective investigation. On May 8, Tatiana, who by that time had been in hospital for a month, was suddenly forced by doctors to sit down to a computer under pressure from Judge Feldmanis to participate in the trial remotely, for which she could not have been prepared.
Both Tanya and Alexander are our comrades, they have been members of the RSL for many years and left the party for personal, not ideological, reasons. We are outraged by their abuse and will do everything we can to help them and draw international attention to the blatant violation of human rights.
RSL never tires of repeating that repression of dissidents is the worst phenomenon in Latvian politics, and almost all victims of this repression belong to the Russian-speaking minority. Unfortunately, other parties that rely on the Russian electorate prefer to keep silent about these tragedies - obviously, fearing to fall under the reprisals themselves. This is clearly an ostrich policy. Only by uniting in support of the victims of arbitrariness can we protect them and ourselves.
May 13, 2025.
- Political repression against dissenters is growing in Latvia, people are being criminally prosecuted just for daring to criticize the policy of the authorities or simply for being subjected to reprisals without any reasonable grounds.
All records of groundlessness and senselessness are broken by the so-called “Baltic antifascists” case, within the framework of which the trial of Tatiana Andriets and Alexander Zhgun, who were imprisoned for several months the year before last, started on May 8. The heinous charge of creating a criminal organization for the purpose of genocide implies imprisonment up to life imprisonment. At the same time, neither Tatiana nor Alexander have anything to do with the “Antifascists of the Baltic States” Telegram channel, which for some reason the investigation has designated as such an organization.
Already at the beginning of the trial it is clear that the court does not strive for any objective investigation. On May 8, Tatiana, who by that time had been in hospital for a month, was suddenly forced by doctors to sit down to a computer under pressure from Judge Feldmanis to participate in the trial remotely, for which she could not have been prepared.
Both Tanya and Alexander are our comrades, they have been members of the RSL for many years and left the party for personal, not ideological, reasons. We are outraged by their abuse and will do everything we can to help them and draw international attention to the blatant violation of human rights.
RSL never tires of repeating that repression of dissidents is the worst phenomenon in Latvian politics, and almost all victims of this repression belong to the Russian-speaking minority. Unfortunately, other parties that rely on the Russian electorate prefer to keep silent about these tragedies - obviously, fearing to fall under the reprisals themselves. This is clearly an ostrich policy. Only by uniting in support of the victims of arbitrariness can we protect them and ourselves.
May 13, 2025.