On Monday, the leader of the “For Stability!” party, Aleksejs Rosļikovs, was detained, according to a social media statement by party member and Saeima MP Svetlana Čulkova.
In a video posted on Rosļikovs’ social media profiles, Čulkova stated that he had been detained that morning, without specifying who carried out the detention or the reasons behind it.
Last week, LETA reported that the State Security Service (VDD) had initiated a criminal investigation against the now-former Saeima MP and newly elected Riga City Council member Rosļikovs. He is suspected of assisting the aggressor state Russia in activities directed against Latvia and of inciting national hatred and discord, the VDD informed the agency.
The criminal proceedings were launched after the VDD evaluated Rosļikovs’ statements made during the June 5th Saeima session, as well as other recent actions.
The VDD reminded the public that it had previously held several preventive discussions with the leader of the “For Stability!” party, warning him of potential criminal liability for unlawful actions.
The service declined to provide further comment.
In a press release, the “For Stability!” party expressed confusion over the VDD’s decision to initiate proceedings against Rosļikovs.
LETA previously reported that in early February of this year, the VDD also held discussions with Rosļikovs regarding his public remarks targeting ethnic Latvians. During those talks, Rosļikovs provided explanations for his statements and their intended purpose. He was again warned of the legal consequences for inciting national hatred or committing other criminal offenses.
On the 5th of June, a parliamentary majority voted to remove Rosļikovs from the Saeima chamber. At the time, he had raised his voice from the rostrum, asserting that Russian-speakers had also stood on the barricades alongside Latvians. He posed rhetorical questions about what might be imposed on Russian-speakers next – “separate reservations, a law forbidding Russian names for children because they’re Russian-sounding?”
Rosļikovs also claimed that the state had “bombarded our families” with laws and decisions – referring to Russian-speaking families.
He emphasized that a significant portion of Latvia’s population are ethnic Russians who speak Russian at home and contribute to the country’s development, insisting that the country could not develop without them.
At the end of his speech, Rosļikovs shouted in Russian, “We are the majority! Russian language – our language!” and made an obscene hand gesture. As a result, he was expelled from the session and removed from the chamber.
The State Language Centre will launch an administrative violation case over Rosļikovs’ actions. The State Police will also review complaints filed by several Saeima members regarding his behavior.
Rosļikovs was elected to the Riga City Council on Saturday.