Zakharova commented on the verdict of a Russian-speaking journalist in Latvia

According to Zakharova, in Latvia "the practice of clamping down on freedom of speech and expression has long become commonplace."

“Within one week, they brought criminal charges against 14 other Russian-speaking correspondents, revoked the license of the First Baltic Channel, and now they have sorted out another“ troublemaker ”,” she said on her Telegram channel.

A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry added that "the trend is obvious, as is the lack of a proper response from the OSCE."

On October 29, Riga's Pardaugava court sentenced to 14 months in prison a well-known Russian-speaking publicist and public figure Yuri Alekseev, editor-in-chief of the IMHOclub online discussion platform he created.

Earlier, Zakharova called on the OSCE to prepare a report on the situation with the criminal prosecution of 14 journalists in Latvia, who collaborated, among other things, with the Russian portals Sputnik and Baltnews.