On May 22, the Riga regional prosecutor's office sent a criminal case to the Riga Central District Court against two high school students accused of a presumably racist attack against Brazilian national in Riga.
The case was initiated against two 18-year olds under the more serious version of the hooliganism law. Under the Latvian Penal Law, the offense carries an up to seven-year jail sentence.
The Latvian security police have furthermore asked the prosecutor's office to prosecute the attackers for ethnic or racist assault, and breach of human rights linked to violence, which can be punishable with an up to ten-year jail term.
The youths have not been remanded in custody. The police said earlier that the two youngsters were supporters of skinhead ideas.
The attack occurred on December 10, 2006, when Latvian television journalist Janis Geste and his female friend from Brazil were walking from the Riga Central Railway Terminal towards the old city.
As they were about to leave an underpass, they were accosted by a group of skinheads who tried to pull them back into the underpass to "have a talk". One of the attackers shouted insults at the Brazilian girl, advising her to leave "our country" and hurled a full beer bottle at her and her friend. The bottle did not hit anyone, though.
