Lindermans to be kept in custody

RIGA - The Riga Regional Court ruled today to keep Vladimirs Lindermans in custody. He was the former leader of the Latvian branch of Russia'sradical National Bolshevik Party, accused of plotting overthrowLatvia's government by force

Lindermans is also charged with illegal possession of firearms andexplosives.

After a sitting on Monday at which the court considered whether to leaveLindermans under arrest, prosecutor Irina Priede told the press shedisagreed with the position of Linderman's lawyer who argued that it wasunlawful to keep her client in custody.

Linderman's lawyer Jelena Kvjatkovska, meanwhile, told journalists that herclient was put on an international list of wanted criminals in 2002,, whichmeans that the prosecutor's request to leave Lindermans in detention wasunlawful as well.

The legal representative added that Lindermans had provided comprehensivetestimonies during the investigation.

The probe into Linderman's case was resumed on March 20, when Lindermans wasfinally extradited to Latviaafter six year's of hiding.

Lindermans who used to head Uzvara (Victory), an organization outlawed in Latviawhich served as the local branch of Russia'sradical National Bolshevik Party, lived in Russiafor several years and is one of the leaders of Russian National Bolsheviks.

Lindermans' Victory organization was folded in 2003 under a court ruling asbeing in breach with the organization articles. It was also found that the"organization's members categorically opposed Latvian government on theissues of foreign and domestic policy."

In 2003, Russian authorities refused to extradite Lindermans to Latviasaying that the extradition request was politically motivated. In 2005, the Moscowregional police again demanded his expulsion from Russia,but the court ruled against it. The following yearLindermans was again apprehended and the court ruled to hand him overto Latvia, butLindermans managed to avoid deportation until now.

This decision came as a surprise to Russian opposition leaders, who composed a letter to the Latvian government requesting objectivity in the case. Celebrities (including former world chess champion Gary Kasparov) and human rights activists sent this open letter claiming that "We have reason to believe that the current charges are politically motivated and unsubstantiated"