RIGA - Before Alexander Kazakov could fully exhale over winning his case in Latvia's Supreme Court, the government hit him with a second blow. On March 3, just one week after the Supreme Court annulled the Interior Ministry's decision to blacklist Kazakov for "posing a threat to the state," Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks (above) announced plans to re-list the Russian national as persona non grata.
"It is in the interests of our country to keep this person away from Latvia. This is a matter of national security," Pabriks told the Baltic News Service.
The foreign minister added that he was ready to do anything to prevent Kazakov, an active opponent of the education reform in Latvia, from entering Latvia.
The media reported that Pabriks had already asked Interior Minister Dzintars Jaundzeikars to blacklist Kazakov again 's a request that will be reviewed over the next few weeks. Foreign Ministry press secretary Inga Saleniece said that Pabriks' decision was based on the Immigration Law, which stipulates that no authority can contest the foreign minister's decision.
Thus, the Interior Ministry has no choice but to re-list Kazakov as personas non grata, said Pabriks, a member of the People's Party. Jaundzeikars, a member of Latvia's First Party, said he would examine the papers submitted by Pabriks next week, and together the two would discuss the issue.
The interior minister, who supports Pabriks' opinion on Kazakov, added that it was impossible to appeal against the foreign minister's decision.
"I myself was ready to tackle this issue," said Jaundzeikars. He expressed indignation over the fact that, due to changes in legislation, it had become possible to contest a previous decision on blacklisting Kazakov.
Kazakov is an activist of the self-proclaimed Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools in Latvia, or Shtab. The unregistered organization has organized several mass protests against Latvia's education reform, which increased the use of Latvian language during lessons at minority schools.
The government expelled Kazakov, who also is an aide to Russian nationalist MP Dmitry Rogozin, on Sept. 4, 2004. The news was announced at a special press briefing the previous day by the then Interior Minister Eriks Jekabsons, who said that "Latvia could not be kind forever" toward a person intentionally bent on inciting ethnic hatred.
Kazakov appealed the decision, and the Latvian Supreme Court ruled in his favor on Feb. 23.
The Supreme Court said in its ruling that Jekabsons had failed to consider the consequences the decision would have on the activist's private life, namely, the Russian's emotional and social ties with Latvia, where his mother still lives.
The court ruled this as "a serious procedural violation" and therefore revoked the minister's decision to ban Kazakov from entering Latvia.
