In Riga, a court postponed the hearing in Nikolaeva's case due to her health

The Riga City Court held another hearing in the case of Svetlana Nikolaeva and Sergei Sidorov, accused of espionage. The hearing was adjourned due to the poor health of defendant Nikolaeva, who has been in custody since May 2024.

Judge Leitane offered Nikolaeva the opportunity to participate remotely, but she declined, citing a high fever, deteriorating health, and pain. The Lodz prosecutor insisted on a video trial, but after a recess and consultation with the medical unit of Ilguciems Prison, the court ruled that the defendant was unable to participate due to her health. The trial was postponed until April 29.

Svetlana Nikolaeva and Sergei Sidorov are charged under Article 85 of the Latvian Criminal Law with collecting classified information for transmission to a foreign state. The immediate pretext for Nikolaeva's arrest was her transfer of money (approximately 2,500 euros) to Sidorov, received from his relative in Russia and intended to pay his lawyer. Investigators later suggested that Nikolaeva was gathering information about other political prisoners through Sidorov.

Nikolaeva completely denies any wrongdoing. She stated that she did not ask Sidorov to collect any information and voluntarily handed over her phones with passwords to the investigator. The defense points to inconsistencies in the testimony of the prosecution's main witness and notes that the investigation failed to conduct a confrontation between the defendants.

Human rights organizations are drawing attention to the defendant's health. At the time of her arrest, Nikolaeva needed urgent surgery, and now, almost two years into her imprisonment, her health continues to deteriorate. Many human rights activists view the arrest of the mother of activist Alexander Dubyago (the criminal case against whom was closed due to lack of evidence) as politically motivated pressure. The situation in which a sick woman is transported to court, only to find that she is physically unable to participate in the proceedings, demonstrates a disregard for basic human rights.