RIGA - An internal investigation conducted by the Latvian State Police has found that officers did not use rubber bullets during the riots that shook Riga earlier this year.
The State Police Internal Security Bureau continues its investigation into the alleged involvement of the police in an
incident during the riot in which a teenage boy lost his eye. Investigators are looking into the circumstances of the incident, checking
the allegations that the police had shot a rubber bullet into the boy's
face.
After the riot the police launched an in-house investigation into actual
crowd control methods used by the police officers. The investigation was
closed this week, and the conclusion was that the actions taken by the
police to keep back and disperse the rioters had been appropriate and in
line the law on the police, said the police spokeswoman Sigita Pildava.
Seven policemen were injured in the line of duty during the riot, and a
commission will decide on paying them compensations.
