EU – Baltic States, History, Latvia, Legislation, Society

The president said earlier that this issue has to be finally solved as Latvia’s centenary approached. “I respect the parliament’s decision, which, in line with the Latvian Constitution, voices the wish of the Latvian citizens, and I will promulgate the bill,” said Vejonis.

At the same time, he noted, that the information published this year will be incomplete and the names published will not tell anything about what exactly those people have done. “Before rushing with conclusions, it is important to wait for the additional information,” said Vejonis.

The president has got acquainted with the information provided by the security services on the possible risks. “I trust our security services and their competence. The society, however, is interested in publishing the KGB files so that we can turn over these black pages in Latvia’s history,” the president said.

As reported, Saeima on October 4, 2018, approved in the final reading a bill on publishing KGB files online by the end of this year.

According to the bill, documents to be published online include phone catalogs listing KGB employees, and a card index listing outside collaborators. The information will be published on the website of the Latvian National Archives by December 31.

Starting from May 1, 2019, also other KGB documents will be digitized and published online.