Latvia Uses Repressive Means to Restrict Media Freedom - Latvian Journalist Thu 14th January 2021 | 11:12 PM
The Latvian authorities use repressive methods to restrict freedom of the press in a bid to silence alternative voices, former editor-in-chief of the Baltnews portal, Andrey Yakovlev, said on Thursday
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2021) The Latvian authorities use repressive methods to restrict freedom of the press in a bid to silence alternative voices, former editor-in-chief of the Baltnews portal, Andrey Yakovlev, said on Thursday.
The Russian-speaking journalist, who headed the news outlet two years ago and now works as a freelancer, said in December that the Latvian State Security Service (VDD) searched his home and office, seized a number of gadgets and conducted an eight-hour interrogation, as he was charged with a violation of European Union sanctions.
Moscow Condemns Political Terror Faced by Media, Rights Defenders in Latvia Fri 18th December 2020 | 09:26 PM
Moscow condemns the ongoing political terror faced by Russian-language media representatives and human rights defenders in Latvia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2020) Moscow condemns the ongoing political terror faced by Russian-language media representatives and human rights defenders in Latvia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday. Only a few days after the arrest of journalists from the online editions of Sputnik and Baltnews, a Latvian court found the well-known human rights activist and public figure A. V. Gaponenko guilty of inciting animosity and hatred on racial, ethnic or nationality-based grounds. We strongly condemn the ongoing political terror faced by the leaders of the Russian-speaking human rights movement and the media community
Moscow Says Int l Human Rights Groups Remain Silent on Press Freedom Violations in Latvia Wed 16th December 2020 | 07:20 PM
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th December, 2020) Moscow notes the silence of international human rights organizations regarding violations of press freedom in Latvia, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, in the wake of new incidents of Latvia s pressure on Russian-speaking journalists under the pretext of the violation of EU sanctions. We reiterate that international human rights organizations are silent, stubbornly silent, apparently, they do it deliberately . We repeat once again our call on international organizations that specialize in the protection of journalists and freedom of speech to give their impartial assessment of what is happening [in Latvia], Zakharova said at a briefing.
Political Context Obvious in Pressure on Sputnik in Latvia - Russian Deputy Envoy to OSCE Sat 12th December 2020 | 12:00 AM
VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2020) The political context is quite obvious in the pressure of the Latvian authorities on Sputnik news agency, Russia s deputy permanent representative at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Maxim Buyakevich, told Sputnik.
The Russian Permanent Mission on Friday raised the issue of what is happening around Sputnik in Latvia at the OSCE Permanent Council. Where the political overtones of pressure are quite obvious, there, in fact, the sovereign rights of an OSCE member state should, by and large, end, since they directly conflict with the political obligations of such a country to ensure freedom of expression. This freedom is unconditional and, of course, cannot be justified by the application of some sanctions, especially in relation to a single individual, Buyakevich said.