Crime, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation

Aleksejevs has previously been probed for inciting ethnic hatred.

Aleksejevs’ lawyer Imma Jansone confirmed to that her client was facing criminal charges but could not tell when the case might reach the court.

Aleksejevs informed on his Facebook account that on October 29 he was summoned to the prosecutor’s office where he was charged with inciting ethnic hatred and illegal possession of weapons. The defendant maintains, however, that the case against him was fabricated by the Security Police. Aleksejevs stressed he would not admit his guilt and would fight for justice till the end.

Delfi news portal reported that the Security Police had also asked to charge Aleksejevs with handling child pornography. It is not clear if Aleksejevs is now being charged also with possession of child pornography. In January 2018 Aleksejevs told to the Russian-language newspaper Segodnya that investigators had found naked photos of his own children in his computer and tried to present them as child pornography.

A criminal investigation against Aleksejevs was started on November 29, 2017 over comments in which the activist had called for an “extermination of all fascist degenerates” of particular ethnic backgrounds, as well as called the language of a particular nation “fascist”.

The investigation established that Aleksejevs had been spreading inciting content on the internet from October 1, 2016 to December 7, 2017, fomenting hatred and discord among various ethnic groups.

At the end of 2017 Aleksejevs confirmed that the Security Police had searched his home and he was a suspect in a criminal probe. He denied writing the above comments.

Aleksejevs has been editor in chief of several printed media and is currently heading IMHOclub portal. From 2005 to 2009 he was a member of the Riga City Council, representing the political party For Human Rights in United Latvia (PCTVL). He is also one of the founders of the Congress of Non-Citizens.