In Latvia, an administrative process has been initiated against a Seimas deputy for using the Russian language
Alexey Roslikovs (Photo: Aleksejs Roslikovs)

The Latvian State Language Center will initiate administrative proceedings against Aleksei Roslykov, a deputy from the For Stability party, who spoke in Russian from the Seimas rostrum in violation of the rules and made an indecent gesture to other deputies, Delfi reports .

As stated by the center's director Inese Muhka, Roslykov demonstrated open disrespect for the Latvian language as the sole state language and spoke disparagingly about its role in Latvian society.

"This threatens the cohesion of society and adherence to the core values of the state, which is unacceptable, especially in the current geopolitical environment," she said.

Muhka emphasized that the deputy's behavior is "politically and morally unacceptable" and is also regarded as a deliberate undermining of the status of the Latvian language as the foundation of the state, enshrined in the Constitution.

In her opinion, this case should be investigated, and the deputy punished "with the maximum severity provided for by law."

In turn, the head of the New Unity parliamentary faction, Edmunds Jurevits, appealed to the Seimas Commission on Mandates, Ethics and Statements regarding Roslykov, and deputies of the opposition United List – to the police.

The day before, Roslykov took the floor in the parliamentary debate on the declaration "On Eliminating the Consequences of Russification" and spoke from the Sejm rostrum in Russian, which is a violation of parliamentary regulations.

He stated that in Latvia, a significant part of the population speaks Russian at home and reproached the deputies for being ready to create "closed zones or a law according to which Russian speakers will not be able to call their child a certain name because it is Russian."

At the end of his speech, Roslykov declared that "there are more of us, and Russian is our language!", after which he made an obscene gesture.

The Sejm decided to remove him from participating in the meeting and expel him from the hall.