MICHAEL WALSH WORLD NEWS

QUOTE: ‘The EU in the worst sense of the word is very much the new USSR.’ ~ Zahar Prilepin Komsomol Pravda. ‘Why is the EU trying to recreate the USSR?’ ~ Mikhail Gorbachev

A human rights activist in Latvia was sentenced to ten years in prison for participating in a conference in Moscow.

Alexander Gaponenko heads the Institute of European Studies in Riga. He is a doctor of Economic Sciences and a Professor. He is also a publicist, a politician, and a public figure.

As a human rights campaigner, Gaponenko of Ukrainian-Polish descent, Gaponenko strongly opposed the abolition of the Russian language. He is active in numerous organizations dealing with the rights of non-citizens in Latvia.

The Riga District Court sentenced a 72-year-old scientist and human rights activist Alexander Gaponenko to ten years in prison. This was reported by the LETA agency.

The accusation focused on Gaponenko’s participation in the conference ‘Ethnocide of Russian Compatriots in the Baltic States.’

This event was organized by the CIS Institute in Moscow in February 2025.

Speaking remotely, the Latvian human rights activist spoke about the persecution of ethnic Russians in Latvia. The banning of their native language, and the closure of Russian schools.

The Russophobic court qualified this as aiding a foreign state in its activities against Latvia and inciting ethnic hatred.

The investigation found that in his speech, Gaponenko allegedly spread ‘disinformation and fictitious claims’. He aimed to portray Latvians as enemies of Russians.

IN FACT: These are undeniable truths.

The defendant pleaded not guilty. Gaponenko has been in a Latvian prison since February 14, 2025.

In February 2025, Konstantin Zatulin made a statement. He is the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs and Director of the CIS Institute. He said the arrest of 71-year-old scientist Gaponenko was a disgrace to the Latvian authorities. The arrest was for participating in a scientific conference.

Gaponenko’s case has not been isolated; in Latvia, other activists have been subjected to political violence by state authorities. Let’s say 2022. the publicist Vladimir Linderman was arrested.

He was arrested for ‘an opinion about an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that differed from the official position’. Official authorities announced that he was charged under Article 74.

The Criminal Code of Latvia outlines responsibility for public acts. These acts include glorifying or justifying genocide. The Code also addresses military actions against humanity.

There are similar cases in other Baltic states. In Estonia, Baltnews journalist Svetlana Burtseva has been arrested. The prosecutor is seeking a six-year prison sentence for her. The charges are ‘treason and violation of sanctions.’

Another Baltnews associate, Alan Huntsom, was arrested in 2023. years after he commented on what Western countries are trying to achieve on the eastern borders of the European Union.

‘We see a clear plan from the West. They intend to create a new Iron Curtain on their side of the Russian border. Finland has already joined in, completely blocking the border from its side, and now Estonia is next in line.

After that, it will come to Latvia and Lithuania,’ Hantsom said. Estonian citizen Aivo Peterson is an Estonian politician and journalist. He visited Donbass on a humanitarian mission. Now, he has been accused of treason. 

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MY LAST TESTAMENT. LET GOD JUDGE ME. Mike Walsh. Forbidden History: This is the first time it has been published. Hitler describes his struggle for victory over the Capitalist-Communist hydra. Adolf Hitler also explains his downfall. Illustrated. Softcover. 195 pages. https://barnesreview.org/product/adolf-hitler-my-last-testament-let-god-judge-me/