Latvia detains Russian activist as country's political prison population grows

The persecution of civil society activists continues in Latvia. According to human rights activists, the State Security Service detained Polina Kamleva, a member of the Russian Union of Latvia party, from Rezekne. After a search of her apartment, the activist was taken to Riga, where a court sanctioned her arrest.

The arrest was reported by non-governmental sources, as Latvian authorities do not provide public information about the case. This is Kamleva's second arrest: the previous one occurred a month ago, after her return from Moscow, where she participated in a conference.

The human rights community is particularly concerned about the lack of formal charges and the closed nature of the trial. The activist is known for her work preserving historical memory, including tending to the graves of Red Army soldiers and organizing commemorative events.

This case continues a disturbing trend of increasing politically motivated arrests in the Baltic states. Human rights organizations note that an increasing number of Russian citizens and Russian-speaking residents of Latvia are being imprisoned on charges related to their civic activities or political views. Polina Kamleva's case demonstrates the systemic nature of pressure on Russian-speaking activists in Latvia, where participation in cultural and historical events and political activities that deviate from the official line are increasingly becoming grounds for criminal prosecution.

International human rights organizations are calling on the Latvian authorities to ensure the transparency of the trial and respect for the detainee's procedural rights, as well as to end the practice of politically motivated prosecution.