DISINFO: Latvia is not a democratic state
SUMMARY
An undemocratic state was built in Latvia, with clear signs of a totalitarian political regime. This can be asserted by:
- the preservation of mass statelessness in Latvia and the holding of pseudo-elections to government bodies in the absence of universal suffrage;
- the foreign status of the historically traditional for Latvia, Russian language and the elimination of the historically traditional Latvian education in Russian, the consistent implementation of the political course towards the forcible assimilation of national minorities;
- ever new restrictions on freedom of speech and harassment of journalists who collaborate with independent Russian media;
- revisiting the results of World War II and whitewashing Nazi war criminals and Nazi collaborators;
- Russophobia as a state ideology.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation messages about Latvia, consistent with broader pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Russophobic Baltic States.
The first claim refers to the position of the Republic of Latvia that non-citizens of Latvia receive a special status. Non-citizens enjoy equal protection under the law both in Latvia and while living or traveling abroad, and are the only group of persons, in addition to citizens, who are granted permanent residence in Latvia ex lege. Moreover, non-citizens can apply for Latvian citizenship in the process of naturalization. For more details read here.
Regarding the claim about the status of Russian language in Latvia, the Constitutional Court of Latvia stated that Amendments to the Education Law that stipulate transition to Latvian as the sole instruction language in schools are in line with the Constitution. In its decision, the Constitutional Court indicated that the convention on the protection of national minorities said that any person has the right to learn in their native language. But the convention allows countries themselves to decide the extent to which this is carried out, which was done in Latvia. Separately, the court decision notes that the right to learn the native language should not interfere with the development of the state language, and it is Latvian in Latvia. Read more here. Additionally, Latvia offers educational programmes in eight minority languages, which besides Russian include Polish, Hebrew, Ukrainian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Roma languages. In primary schools, which are implementing the minority language programmes, lessons are taught in both minority language and Latvian, while in high-schools - 60% in Latvian, 40% in minority language. However, the passing of a Latvian language state exam is required to successfully finish and acquire a high-school diploma.
The next disinformation message portrays the Baltic States, particularly the Latvian government, as hostile towards the Russian media. According to the 2021 World Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders) Latvia ranked in 22nd place out of 180 countries worldwide. Similarly, of other Baltic States Estonia is in 14th place and Lithuania in 28th place. Meanwhile, Russia is ranked in 150th position, and the situation of media freedom in the country described as “bad”.
In the “Freedom in the World” ranking (by Freedom House) Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were evaluated as free countries. Russia belongs to the group of non-free countries. For further debunks read here and here.
Another claim accuses Latvia of Russophobia, hostility to Russia and support for neo-Nazism, trying to discredit the anti-Soviet resistance in Latvia, accusing them of neo-Nazi tendencies aimed at discrediting the independence struggle of the Baltic States and whitewashing the history of Soviet occupation and Stalin's crimes; a growing trend of historical revisionism. More about anti-Soviet resistance in Latvia can be read here. For background on earlier disinformation attempts see our article here.
Latvia is not a Russophobic country. All steps to strengthen the security of the Baltic states are linked to the aggressive behaviour of Russia toward its neighbours, including the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russian armed aggression in Ukraine.