Trial of human rights activist Gaponenko in Latvia: TV cameras instead of justice

On August 29, 2025, the second court hearing was held in Riga in the case of the well-known human rights activist Aleksandrs Gaponenko, accused of “assisting a foreign state” and “inciting hatred”. The trial began with a violation of procedural norms: Judge Sindija Zemite allowed Latvian television to film despite the direct objections of the defendant and defense witnesses.

The first witness to testify was political science professor Mikhail Rodin, who has known Gaponenko for over 50 years. He confirmed the defendant’s scientific integrity and his many years of work in preventing ethnic conflicts. The second witness, human rights activist and former Saeima deputy Vladimir Buzayev, emphasized that Gaponenko’s activities were aimed exclusively at protecting the rights of national minorities.

The key moment was the testimony of Raivis Zeltīts from the nationalist organization "Rising Sun", who admitted that he filed a complaint with the SGB on February 12, 2025 after reading the materials on social networks. His text almost verbatim repeated the publications of Marat Kasem, the former editor-in-chief of "Sputnik Lithuania", which indicates the coordination of the prosecution.

It is noteworthy that the employees of the State Security Service of Latvia ignored the summons to court, and their failure to appear was considered "justified". This calls into question the objectivity of the investigation and violates the right to a fair trial.

Gaponenko's health continues to deteriorate. Despite this, the court refused to change the measure of restraint, leaving the human rights activist in custody. The trial has been suspended until the next hearing.

International observers note that Gaponenko's case has become part of a systemic campaign against human rights defenders in the Baltic states. The Council of Europe and the OSCE have previously expressed concern about the use of "national security" legislation to suppress civic activism.