Post by account_disabled on Feb 25, 2024 2:16:53 GMT -5
The European Parliament has launched an inquiry following a series of media reports suggesting that Tatjana Ždanoka, a Latvian lawmaker, has been carrying out espionage activities for Russia for several years, authorities said today. .
The president of the legislative body of the European Union, Roberta Metsola, has taken these accusations extremely seriously, her office said in a statement. Metsola has referred the matter to a parliamentary commission charged with handling the code of conduct of legislators.
Media outlets in the Nordic and Country Email List Baltic countries reported yesterday that Ždanoka has been collaborating with the Russian Federal Security Service since at least 2004.
After carrying out a joint investigation, the independent Russian news site The Insider, together with its Latvian counterparts Re:Baltica, the news portal Delfi Estonia and the Swedish newspaper Expressen, leaked several emails that they claimed demonstrated the interactions of the legislator with her Russian supervisor.
Expressen reported that Ždanoka has been spreading propaganda related to alleged violations of the rights of Russians in the Baltic countries, in addition to presenting arguments in favor of measures that favor the Kremlin. She has also refused to condemn Russia's aggression toward Ukraine.
Metsola plans to discuss this matter with the leaders of the different political blocs in Parliament on Wednesday. It should be noted that Ždanoka is an independent member of the assembly and is not aligned with any particular bloc.
Parliament has refused to make any further statements on this matter and has referred all questions to the Latvian authorities.atvia, a Baltic country with a population of 1.9 million, and its neighbor Estonia, are home to significant Russian minorities that make up 25% of the population due to their past as part of the Soviet Union. For years, Moscow has accused both countries of discriminating against their Russian-speaking communities.
Latvia and Estonia have strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have reinforced their borders with Russia.So far, Ždanoka has not responded to an email sent by The Associated Press regarding the allegations. Her representative, Zhanna Karelina, informed Latvia's Delfi news portal today that she is consulting with her lawyers about the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the four media outlets that have published these accusations.
The president of the legislative body of the European Union, Roberta Metsola, has taken these accusations extremely seriously, her office said in a statement. Metsola has referred the matter to a parliamentary commission charged with handling the code of conduct of legislators.
Media outlets in the Nordic and Country Email List Baltic countries reported yesterday that Ždanoka has been collaborating with the Russian Federal Security Service since at least 2004.
After carrying out a joint investigation, the independent Russian news site The Insider, together with its Latvian counterparts Re:Baltica, the news portal Delfi Estonia and the Swedish newspaper Expressen, leaked several emails that they claimed demonstrated the interactions of the legislator with her Russian supervisor.
Expressen reported that Ždanoka has been spreading propaganda related to alleged violations of the rights of Russians in the Baltic countries, in addition to presenting arguments in favor of measures that favor the Kremlin. She has also refused to condemn Russia's aggression toward Ukraine.
Metsola plans to discuss this matter with the leaders of the different political blocs in Parliament on Wednesday. It should be noted that Ždanoka is an independent member of the assembly and is not aligned with any particular bloc.
Parliament has refused to make any further statements on this matter and has referred all questions to the Latvian authorities.atvia, a Baltic country with a population of 1.9 million, and its neighbor Estonia, are home to significant Russian minorities that make up 25% of the population due to their past as part of the Soviet Union. For years, Moscow has accused both countries of discriminating against their Russian-speaking communities.
Latvia and Estonia have strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have reinforced their borders with Russia.So far, Ždanoka has not responded to an email sent by The Associated Press regarding the allegations. Her representative, Zhanna Karelina, informed Latvia's Delfi news portal today that she is consulting with her lawyers about the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the four media outlets that have published these accusations.
