Latvia: Amnesty International blast Kalvitis, etc. - Baltic Times

News from the Baltic Times

Riga City Council rejects attempt to remove chief executive
By TBT staff

RIGA – City Council members on Thursday rejected a proposal by the opposition to remove Eriks Skapars, the city’s chief executive, for the scandal surrounding the gay parade.

Council members decided to leave Skapars in post with 27 votes against nine.

Ainars Slesers, transport minister and one of the leaders of Latvia's First Party, said Skapars should be removed.


Lujans gives up deputy mandate over gay parade
By TBT staff

RIGA – Riga Deputy Mayor Juris Lujans decided to give up his mandate, citing indignation over the recent gay parade that took place in Riga July 23.

“I am putting down my mandate after this emergency meeting [of the Riga city council],” said Lujans, who is leader of Latvia's First Party, one of the four ruling coalition parties.

Lujans denies that the decision had anything to do with general elections in the fall of 2002, as the media has speculated. He stressed that he made the decision based solely on his evaluation of New Era’s decision to allow the gay march to take place.

“We are speaking about the scale of values here. They have no moral standards,” he said, speaking of the right-wing New Era.


Amnesty International blast Kalvitis
By TBT staff

Kalvitis and radical nationalist Leopolds Ozolins, an MP, about the recent gay parade in Riga could encourage intolerance and hatred.

“Amnesty International fears such comments from the authorities may encourage a climate of intolerance and hatred, and that they may incite verbal and physical attacks against gay and lesbian persons, such as those that took place on 23 July 2005 during the Gay Pride march,” the organization said in a statement.

“In light of the initial ban on the march, Amnesty International would like to remind the Latvian government of Latvia's international obligations, under international human rights law and standards,” reads the statement.


Court fines Respublika for anti-Semitic artices
By TBT staff

A Vilnius court on Wednesday handed down its first ruling in an administrative case over a series of anti-Semitic articles that were published in the Respublika daily last year.

The court fined Algis Kalanta, editor-in-chief of the Russian-language version of Respublika, 1,000 litas (290 euros).

Rimvydas Valentukevicius, prosecutor of the Special Investigation Division of the Prosecutor General's Office, told the Baltic News Service that a minimum fine was imposed in view of the fact that the accused had not been the author of the articles but had agreed to publish them.

The series of publications were described by observers as instigating anti-Semitism and intolerance of gays.