Latvian parliament to scrutinise Indian scientist’s citizenship grant

Latvia’s parliamentary committee on citizenship, migration and social cohesion will examine a lawmaker’s request to verify the grounds for granting citizenship to Indian scientist Divya Kanana Vishwanath, LSM reported.

Parliament granted Vishwanath Latvian citizenship on October 15 through an urgent procedure. The law was passed with broad agreement, meaning the president cannot refuse to promulgate it.

The request follows debate on social media over the weekend, where users questioned Vishwanath’s education and scientific publications.

Latvian Academy of Sciences representatives, including its president Ivars Kalvins, recommended granting her citizenship. Kalvins told Latvian Radio he saw no indication that Vishwanath had provided false information to parliament. He said her special merits for Latvia were not primarily related to her research, but to the establishment of an artificial intelligence laboratory in the country.

Vishwanath’s website had listed three purported scientific articles that users could not find in online publication databases. Latvian Radio was also unable to locate them, although journals matching two of the three titles could be found. Since Saturday, the website’s research section has been replaced with text that does not mention publications. A separate section now lists 10 articles in seven journals that can be found online.