Latvia’s top court sends war-crimes glorification case back

Latvia’s Supreme Court has overturned an appeal court ruling in the case of pro-Kremlin activist Elena Kreile, who was sentenced to three years in prison for publicly glorifying crimes against peace and war crimes by displaying Russian and Soviet symbols in her home windows, LSM reported.

The Supreme Court said the Riga Regional Court had correctly found that the Russian Federation and Soviet regimes committed crimes whose glorification is prohibited under Latvia’s Criminal Law. However, it had not adequately explained why Kreile’s messages were intended specifically to justify or glorify those crimes.

The court said that because the installations did not directly praise or justify the crimes, the lower court needed to explain particularly carefully how the messages had done so implicitly. The lower courts had also failed to address Kreile’s alternative explanations of the intended meaning of her displays.

The case has been sent back for a new review. The appeal court must consider whether Kreile used freedom of expression in a way that conflicts with the aims set out in Latvia’s Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. It must also assess and describe the messages as precisely as possible, explaining what she intended to convey.

The Riga City Court had found Kreile guilty and sentenced her to three years in prison. The Riga Regional Court upheld that ruling on appeal.

According to LSM, Kreile had also repeatedly carried a bag bearing the letter Z at public places and events. Russian propaganda outlets use the symbol to show support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.