Lativia parliament boots MP over speaking Russian

(MENAFN) A Latvian member of parliament was expelled from a session and may face further penalties after speaking Russian during a parliamentary debate, violating new rules requiring the use of Latvian. The incident took place on Thursday during discussions about a declaration aimed at addressing the alleged “Russification” of Latvia during Soviet rule from 1940 to 1991.

Since the Ukraine conflict intensified in 2022, Latvia and its Baltic neighbors have stepped up measures against perceived Russian influence, including travel bans on Russian citizens, restrictions on vehicles with Russian plates, and mandatory Latvian language tests for long-term Russian-origin residents. Many who failed or refused the exam have been deported, prompting strong criticism from the Kremlin, which has called these actions blatant discrimination.

Aleksey Roslikov, representing the For Stability! party which advocates for the Russian-speaking minority (around 24.5% of Latvia’s population), spoke out against placing the declaration on the agenda. Although he spoke mostly in Latvian, he ended his speech with a Russian phrase asserting the prominence of the Russian language and made an obscene gesture.

This behavior angered many lawmakers, who voted 69 to 31 to expel him from the session. The Saeima speaker, Daiga Mierina, condemned Roslikov’s actions as disrespectful and indicated he could face further sanctions, including bans on attending future sessions.

New regulations passed in May require MPs to speak exclusively in Latvian during parliamentary proceedings. Roslikov defended his actions to the media, stating his protest was justified in response to the denial of the right to speak his language.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly praised Roslikov for defending the Russian language, sharing footage of the incident and criticizing what he called Russophobia in Latvia.

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