On Wednesday, a protest was held against Latvia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, writes LA.lv.
The Saeima supported the bill to withdraw Latvia from the convention in its first reading with 52 votes. As noted by the Marta Center, such voting has caused outrage among parts of society, as it "jeopardizes the progress made in the field of human rights and gender equality."
The organization believes that withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention would mean a retreat from the principles of democracy and human rights. The Marta Center emphasizes that this sends a dangerous signal about the state's readiness to turn a blind eye to violence and inequality.
The situation is being monitored by former Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga. Her post on the social network X, in which she points out the influence of Russian soft power — that is, Putin's propaganda — on the deputies who supported the withdrawal, has sparked a storm of opinions, with many recalling her own meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Particularly vocal in this context was politician Jānis Dombrava from the National Alliance, who faced a widespread wave of condemnation for his remarks.
"In my eyes, any Saeima deputy who votes for the denunciation of the Istanbul Convention will thereby prove that they are under the influence of Putin's propaganda. The substantive essence of this convention has long ceased to be the issue here. We must not fall out of the core of European values!" - wrote Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga.
"Said the lady who went to kiss Putin on May 9 and handed over Latvia's territory to Putin!" - responded Jānis Dombrava.
In response to his post, he received the following comments:
Roberts Eglītis: Aren't you ashamed? "Lady"... You should learn respect. What Ms. Vīķe-Freiberga did back then with her team allows you and me not to crawl through a wet trench now.
Kristīne Ronka: Jāni, stop! You are bringing yourself and the party down to the lowest level. Don't turn into a gray barking mass.
More arms for Ukraine! Heroes live forever: Vīķe-Freiberga did not go to kiss Putin on May 9, don't lie. Before her trip to Moscow, she conducted a wide campaign abroad, telling about the history of Latvia and the occupation, for which she incurred the wrath of the Kremlin. Later, it was Russia that opposed her candidacy for the position of UN Secretary-General.
Ferdinands Sarma: It is so sad to hear this from a representative of this party! The president that the National Alliance once praised is now being spat upon... Horrible. Dombrava is earning negatives for the next elections.
Ilze: Isn't the EU a union of free, independent, and sovereign states??? Latvia is a national state with its own national values. We have no obligations to adopt laws where gender is just a social construct!
Ivars Mučenieks: And how did they start? Is this a very original assessment of the situation? I would say that such primitiveness only strengthens the positions of the opponents.
000: Every day I see how progressives call one of the main problems of Trump and Putin their age. But as soon as some elderly ex-politician says something in their spirit — everything is immediately forgotten. Touching.
Leave a comment