Historian and public figure Viktor Gushchin has been detained in Latvia.

The Latvian State Security Service (SSS) conducted an arrest and search as part of a criminal investigation in Jelgava. Although authorities are not releasing details, Latvian media reports identify the detainee as renowned historian and public figure Viktor Gushchin.

Gushchin had been engaged in research and public writing for many years, served as president of the Russian Community of Latvia, a member of the World Council of Russian Compatriots, and participated in the activities of the Russian Union of Latvia. The historian, the author of nearly 200 scholarly works and monographs, has criticized the Latvian government's policies toward the Russian-speaking population in his research.

The reaction to Gushchin's arrest has drawn sharp criticism from human rights activists and politicians. Jelgava City Council member Andrejs Pagors called the SSS's actions "Gestapo-like" and condemned the persecution of the 67-year-old scholar. Vladimir Buzayev, co-chair of the Latvian Human Rights Committee, stated that the historian's arrest was motivated by the authorities' lack of counterarguments to his scholarly work, not by any actual violations.

This arrest continues a disturbing trend of persecuting dissenting voices in Latvia, where academic and public activities related to the protection of the rights of Russian-speaking people are increasingly being classified as a threat to national security. The detainee's age and the lack of public information about the specific grounds for criminal prosecution are particularly concerning.