Unidentified provocateurs calling themselves the Latvian Officers' Union have spread a call for an armed uprising in Riga on election day. The call has been published as a leaflet and it calls for the violent overthrow of state power. This is a very serious criminal offence.
It is not known how many copies of the anti-state call have been distributed, but the security services and the forces are already working on it. The text of the call is quite long - a full A4 page in Russian. The author is at least legally non-existent organization "Союз офицеров Латвии". The name can be translated as the Latvian Officers' Union. In short, the call curses the existing Latvian authorities. The country is run by thieves and bloodsuckers. The ruling circles are engaged in genocide against the people and 60% of the population is facing poverty and hunger in the autumn. That is why the thieves with foreign passports who sit in government must be driven out, as Kārlis Ulmanis once did. All this could be regarded as the kind of empty pro-Kremlin blather that the Internet is full of, if the leaflet did not contain a direct and unequivocal call for the violent overthrow of state power.
Unknown provocateurs are agitating the population to take to the streets on October 1, arms in hand, to establish the third republic. They call for the suspension of public institutions and local authorities, the seizure of control of the media, blocking of roads, troops, airports and borders. This is clearly a dangerous call. Chapter X of the Criminal Law, Crimes against the State, provides for liability and very heavy penalties for both calls for such action and for the action itself. Up to 15 years in prison. The choice of the date of the coup in the call is quite significant. The 14th parliamentary elections will take place on October 1, and as usual, they will be a day for provocations of all kinds. Neatkarīgā asked the Chair of the Central Election Commission, Kristīne Bērziņa, whether and how security risks are dealt with. Here is her explanation:
"About the election security issues - yes, representatives of the Central Election Commission participate in the State Chancellery's 14th Saeima Election Security Working Group, where we are informed about current security issues related to the conduct of elections. We also work together with the security authorities and other institutions involved in the elections to carefully assess the risks and work to eliminate them."
The Central Election Commission is aware of the call to violence that has been circulating in the city:
"The investigation of this case you mentioned is the competence of the law enforcement authorities.
We expect the law enforcement authorities to clarify the situation, find the disseminators of the information as soon as possible and hold them accountable as provided for by law.
In order to ensure public order at the polling stations, we will cooperate with the State Police and Municipal Police as usual in these elections." This is according to Kristīne Bērziņa, Head of the CEC.
Who are the people calling for the violent overthrow of the state power can only be speculated at the moment. The authors of the call claim, among other things, that they have associates in the power structures. There are indeed loyalty problems in some services. The leadership of the State Police, for example, has not shied away from talking about it, promising to sack all Kremlin sympathizers. However, it seems absolutely impossible that a military coup is being prepared underground at the moment. At the same time, it must be recognized that there are enough disloyal and radical people in Latvia who would love to destabilize the situation in the country. And there have been cases of such people being sent from the Russian Federation.
On November 17, 2000, three guest provocateurs arrived in Latvia. National Bolsheviks from the Limonov group - stormed St Peter’s Church tower, hoisted the red flag and threatened to blow themselves up, demanding the release from detention of two detained comrades. Subsequent guest appearances by the Limonovites took place in 2015. Two guys managed to enter the Ādaži military base. They waved a flag in Colorado colors and were about to throw leaflets, but they did not manage to do so because they were detained. There is also a historical connection with the National Bolsheviks, or the Limonovites, for some Latvian citizens who went to fight on the Russian side after the first Russian invasion of Ukraine. And Vladimir Linderman, a supporter of the Kremlin, is also a National Bolshevik. According to Wikipedia, he was once the de facto deputy of the leader of the Russian National Bolshevik Party, Limonov. But as for the leaflets distributed in the city of Riga calling for the overthrow of the state and armed riots on October 1, at least on this occasion, Linderman is probably not to blame, as he is in Riga Central Prison. Linderman is charged with the acquittal of genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes against peace and war crimes.
INFORMATION
Criminal Law
Section 80. Action Directed against the Republic of Latvia
(1) For an action that is directed against national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, State authority or administrative order of the Republic of Latvia in a manner that is not provided for in the Constitution,
the applicable punishment is the deprivation of liberty for a period of up to eight years, with probationary supervision for a period of up to three years.
(2) For a person who commits the same acts, if they have been committed using violence or if they have been committed by an organised group,
the applicable punishment is the deprivation of liberty for a period of five years and up to fifteen years and with probationary supervision for a period of up to three years.
Section 81. Invitation Directed against the Republic of Latvia
For a person who makes a public invitation to take action against national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, State authority or administrative order of the Republic of Latvia in a manner that is not provided for in the Constitution or for distribution of materials containing such invitation,
the applicable punishment is the deprivation of liberty for a period of up to five years or temporary deprivation of liberty, or probationary supervision, or community service, or fine.
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