The Saeima has referred for review to the Citizenship, Migration and Social Cohesion Committee a draft decision submitted by the opposition party Latvija pirmajā vietā (LPV) proposing to revoke the Latvian citizenship of former Member of the European Parliament Andrejs Mamikins.
MP Edvards Smiltēns (AS) questioned during the debate whether citizenship can be revoked at all given that criminal proceedings have already been initiated against Mamikins — and whether such a step is necessary.
In a sharply worded remark, Smiltēns suggested that instead of debating citizenship revocation, authorities could simply wait until Mamikins’ Latvian passport expires and detain him upon crossing the Latvia–Russia border, adding that this would prevent “such opportunists” from escaping responsibility.
At the same time, he acknowledged that LPV had “raised the bar” and hinted that similar proposals concerning other individuals might follow.
According to LPV’s draft decision, Mamikins recently called on Russia, during an appearance on Russian state television channel Rossija 1, to bomb the Baltic states and kill their inhabitants.
LPV argues that such statements amount to incitement to war and open encouragement of grave violations of international law.
The draft notes that the deliberate killing of civilians in the context of an armed conflict constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.
The proposal calls on the Latvian government to analyse all legal avenues for revoking Mamikins’ citizenship, taking into account the Constitution, the Citizenship Law, Latvia’s international obligations and EU law.
Edmunds Jurēvics, head of the parliamentary group of Jaunā Vienotība, told LETA that he sees the initiative as an attempt to divert attention from what he described as pro-Russian politicians joining LPV.
Nevertheless, he stressed that
Mamikins had violated the Criminal Law by calling for the destruction of Latvia’s sovereignty and its citizens,
and that his place is in prison.
Harijs Rokpelnis, head of the parliamentary faction of Zaļo un Zemnieku savienība (ZZS), said that while dedicating a Saeima draft decision to “one criminal” gives him too much honour, the responsible committee should still assess the proposal.
Meanwhile, Andris Šuvajevs, leader of the parliamentary group of Progresīvie, stated that Mamikins should not hold Latvian citizenship. “His actions are directed against the Latvian state and our sovereignty. I expect the Ministries of Justice and Interior to evaluate this issue and propose a solution,” he said.
In June 2024, the International Cooperation Division of the General Prosecutor’s Office issued a European Arrest Warrant for Mamikins, who is
accused of glorifying and justifying war crimes committed by the aggressor state in Ukraine.
The State Security Service (VDD) initiated criminal proceedings against him on the 29th of September, 2023 under Section 74.1 of the Criminal Law — for justification of genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes against peace and war crimes — based on his statements in Kremlin-aligned Russian television broadcasts and on social media.
In a broadcast of “Evening with Vladimir Solovyov” on Rossiya 1 on 2023, Mamikins stated that Russia was carrying out a “great and sacred mission in Ukraine.” The maximum penalty for such an offence under Latvian Criminal Law is imprisonment for up to five years.
After fleeing to Russia, the former politician and pro-Kremlin activist told Russian propaganda media that he had done so to prevent his “sons from having to take part in gay parades.”
Amendments to the Citizenship Law adopted by the Saeima in April 2022 provide for the revocation of Latvian citizenship from individuals who have provided substantial financial, material, propaganda, technological or other support to states or persons that have committed acts such as genocide, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity or war crimes, undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, independence or constitutional order of democratic states — provided that the person does not become stateless as a result.
According to archived LETA information, Mamikins was born in 1976, holds a master’s degree in philology from the University of Latvia, and worked for several years in journalism. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2014 from the Social Democratic party Saskaņa, but failed to win a seat in the 2018 parliamentary elections when running on the Latvian Russian Union list. In 2021, he briefly worked at the State Labour Inspectorate as head of strategic communications before his employment was terminated during the probation period.
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