“Judging by the fact that I already served four months in pre-trial detention, the likelihood of (such a sentence. - RT ) is high, since there are about 12 human rights defenders behind me, lawsuits are also being brought against them ... This is such a trial, after which there will be a criminal sweep of the entire Russian asset in Latvia, ”he said.
Gaponenko noted that a similar attitude in Latvia to all activists who defend the interests of Russians.
“In Latvia, Russians have no legal status; they do not exist at all in the legislation. And when people like me say that we have our rights, they say: “These are Kremlin spies, they must be imprisoned,” he said.
Gaponenko is charged under three articles of the Latvian Criminal Law: incitement to ethnic hatred, actions against the constitutional order, and high treason. On all counts, he faces up to 17 years in prison.
As professor Sputnik Latvia told, the prosecution interprets his posts on Facebook as inciting hatred.
In particular, according to him, in one of these publications he scolds American tanks that are in Latvia, another post concerns the marches of SS legionnaires in Riga.