In the case concerning the party Stabilitātei!, the prosecution is likely to take the matter to court, Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters said in an interview with Latvian Radio.
He stressed that the prosecution will assess the party’s response to the warning issued by the Ģenerālprokuratūra. While Meisters said he cannot speak on behalf of the supervising prosecutor, he indicated that the case will most likely be brought before a court.
If the court sides with the prosecution, it may suspend the party’s activities for six months and require it to comply with the obligations set out in the prosecutor’s warning. If the party fails to do so, it could ultimately be dissolved.
Meisters acknowledged that in such a scenario, Stabilitātei! would become the first political party to be shut down since Latvia restored its independence.
The Prosecutor General’s Office considers the party’s accusations against the prosecution to be unfounded.
Meisters noted that the grounds for issuing the warning remain publicly verifiable.
The warning followed a completed review of the party’s activities for compliance with the Political Parties Law. Prosecutors concluded that certain statutory prohibitions may have been violated.
Under Latvian law, political parties are prohibited from acting against the independence or territorial integrity of Latvia or other democratic states, advocating for the violent overthrow of a democratic system, or calling for disobedience to the law.
The party was instructed to eliminate the violations by the 7th of February, including deleting specific content identified in the warning from social media and reviewing its overall online communication to ensure compliance with existing regulations governing political parties. The prosecution also urged the party to prevent the dissemination of messages or actions contrary to the law in the future.
Legally, the prosecution’s decision cannot be appealed; the party must either comply or refuse to comply.
Party leader Aleksejs Rosļikovs described the warning as political retaliation. He maintained that he has never acted against the Latvian state or the Latvian language.
On Wednesday, after submitting the party’s official response to the warning at the Prosecutor General’s Office, Rosļikovs told the media that Stabilitātei! would not comply with the demands. He stated that the party is prepared for a possible decision to dissolve it and would challenge such a decision in court.
Previously, it was reported that Rosļikovs has been under scrutiny by law enforcement authorities. Late last year, prosecutors referred a criminal case to the Riga City Court against the Riga City Council deputy and former Saeima member on charges of inciting national and ethnic hatred.
He was initially also suspected of assisting a foreign state in activities directed against Latvia, but that part of the criminal proceedings was discontinued by the State Security Service due to insufficient evidence gathered during the investigation.
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