RIGA – It was probably a session like any other. Members of parliament gather in the sacred hall to adopt laws, debate the future of this country. But on Nov. 13, 2007, the Saeima adopted adding article 194.1 to the Criminal Code, calling for up to two years in prison for “deliberate dissemination” of false information regarding the financial system of Latvia. The whole debate over the issue can be summed up as follows (the links are in Latvian):
Speaker: Debating the bill changes to the Criminal Code. Mr. Mitrofanovs from PCTVL wants to speak.
Mitrofanovs: It’d be ludicrous to adopt changes to the law because otherwise we’d have to arrest the Cabinet of Ministers and (then) Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis for spreading false information regarding the inflation in our country. And here’s where it’s better to quote directly
Mitrofanovs: “But, speaking seriously, the new norm in the Criminal Code will create a legal mechanism to prosecute journalists. From now on, any negative or radical evaluation of the nation’s financial situation can serve as a formal reason to start prosecution of a journalist, a publicist or an independent economist.
…
“I think as proposed, the bill’s unresolved problem is it does not distinguish between distribution of news and expression of opinion, between news and forecast, between news and evaluation.
“And what’s the conclusion? Today adopting changes in the Criminal Code regarding news dissemination about the financial situation in the country would be a mistake, this is why I, in the name of our fraction, ask you not to support this proposal and return to developing a new edition when the Criminal Code will be open for amendments.”
Speaker gives a word to Rasnacs, am MP from For Fatherland and Freedom
Rasnacs: Dear members of parliament. This was the proposal from the Bank of Latvia, and the Judicial Commitee, evaluating this proposal, supported it. And it supported it because it talked about a deliberate distribution of news. And with that, Mr. Mitrofanovs’ concerns about freedom of the speech, which is mentioned in the Article 100 of the Constitution, is completely baseless.”
And the debate were closed.
Now less than a year since the law was enacted without a single no-vote – the President signed the law – we have this.
On base of this law Dmitrijs Smirnovsa was arrested. A real shame for latvians and certainly for me, descendant of latvian parents, born and living in belgium. I hope there will be a thorough investigation by latvian authorities and that those responsible will be punished and put to trial. Otherwise the latvian gouvernement must be sued, because there can’t be any dispute that this way of acting is a transgression of european law i.e. latvian law. If necessary i want to come to latvia to defend the most essential value of democracy: the right of freedom of opinion and of speech. Perhaps if a belgian citizen of latvian descendance mobilizes the international press and gives a press conference before the statue of ‘liberty’ about the possible devaluation of the latvian lat this can make a difference…
[...] American and European media outlets might actually deter the Latvian Government from pursuing its absurd restrictions on freedom of speech. If you’re so inclined, I heartily encourage you to make [...]
damn -this is too sexy (just wanted to start my comment with this)
actually -as common and regular citizen of this country (constant political freakshow any time of year) i don’t care about this more then about russian aliens or gay human rights
-tomorrow i’ll wake up and go to my job (i m happy -i’ve got some)
i’ve got a family to feed -i don’t care -at least this is not the case to care about
i’ve got just 2 hours in darkness 4 myself to spend daily (wake up @7 -kid @ kindergarten @ 8 -i m @job @ 9 -i m @ home @ 7PM -going sleep @10)
damn -this is too sexy -life sucks
yeah -freedom of speech
whatever…
[...] Comments Lat We N Trash on Making the lawLatvia Free Speech Blogging « on D-word can cost youLatvia Free Speech Blogging « on [...]
“yeah -freedom of speech … whatever…
I guess your government agrees with you. Freedom of speech is a luxury we can dispense with in times of crisis.
Pierre
“Freedom of speech is a luxury we can dispense with in times of crisis”
-nope -i don’t think that this is any kind of luxury what we can dispense or not
-usually i m too busy, too tired or too drunk to care about another political cynicism from my government
-actually most of the time i feel so helpless about it that only way seems to go and crash the windows of parliament building (but i can’t do that because i’ve got a family to feed)
-sometimes it maybe looks like people here are too inert politically to change something (postsoviet mentality and al this kind of blahblahblah) but actually people are too busy to survive -so busy that thinking of your own party or human rights or freedom of speech is as much useful for your daily routine as metaphysics
the real luxury here is time what you can spend for thinking what is really important for yourself as active member of society and things what you can give to others or your state -most of the people would bankrupt after first month when they didn’t get their salary -so you can’t really blame them
there is really thin line of middle class (about 7-10%) who can really understand and take care about values like this -while others are doomed to live out their rat race like lives -this is how actually oligarchy rules and works
Piedodiet. I misunderstood your statement and apologise if I offended you. You make a good point. My wife’s family in Latvia are among the people you cite fighting for their survival and have little time to fight back to defend their rights. I guess Latvia needs a bigger and stronger middle class to take on this fight, but the current economic situation is making this difficult and the government, nevermind the oligarchs, is not helping at all.
Pierre
Pierre and Lat We N Trash,
At work and school and in the streets I see the changes. People want miracles and sudden answers from the sky. Unfortunately, it does not work that way. We also seem to think that some grand gesture from “the people” is needed to force govt to become responsive. Again, it is not needed (would be nice).
This is a version of the old saying “think globally and act locally.” Day by day, some people pound away at govt. We (Pro Futuro LV) for example go to every education ministry meeting or conference or whatever that we can to just say “we know.” We know that the system sucks, that it is weakening Latvia and that there is a better way. This means that we make choices. Neither my wife nor I can/will take on more work that would take us out of our 3 room flat into the house we would like. Our kid doesn’t get all the toys he wants and we eat lots of potatoes. That is our decision. We see that the future of LV (the place where our kid lives) depends on us being there day after day. No eloquent acts- just day after day, meeting after meeting, letter after letter, complaint after complaint.
When we sink into the cynicism of tiredness and drunkness and helplesness the bastards win. I do not ever want my kid to see us concede.