Last week, a 19-year-old soldier of the Latvian special duty forces, Vladimirs G., died after receiving a sharp blow on the chest during the ritual. His death renewed discussions on the safety of conscripts as well as the Soviet legacy of institutionalized bullying in the Latvian army.
"Graube could, of course, step down, but I feel this would be the easy way out," Defense Minister Girts Kristovskis said.
State secretary at Latvia's Ministry of Defense Edgars Rinkevics said he doesn't see the recent development as a reason to ask for Graube's resignation.
"But I'm not saying this is not a serious incident. Now we have to work on how to find out who else is doing this sort of thing and how to prevent it from happening again. We need to introduce more formal ceremonies that are less bloody."
The investigation subsequent to Vladimirs G.'s demise proved that at least 20 men had been physically abused in the same fashion, punched in the chest.
Uldis Davidovs, spokesman for Latvia's armed forces, told The Baltic Times the special duty forces have a history of this sort of ferocious initiation.
"After six months of service, soldiers who have served for nine months punch them in the heart, and this is why (Vladimirs G.) died," he said.
However, so far the official cause of death was heart failure and nobody has yet been blamed or accused of criminal behavior.
Rinkevics said there are currently two ongoing investigations, one criminal and one internal.
"It will take some time to find someone to blame since there are many officers and conscripts who need to be questioned," the state secretary said. "There is a chance that criminal charges will be pressed."
Graube's career has taken a few twists and turns in recent months. He has been praised internationally for his work on bringing the Latvian armed forces closer to NATO standards, but on his home ground parliamentarians have criticized him for not providing conscripts with a safer environment after several lethal incidents involving guns. There are already voices in the Parliament demanding that Graube resign.
Kristovskis said that he will personally review Graube's report and evaluate the commander's achievements and failures during his term in office. He also said he would discuss his conclusions with high-ranking government officials, and report to the National Security Council at its next meeting, as well as to Parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Latvian government will, however, in the end have the final say as to whether to keep Graube. The commander has already assumed full responsibility for the death of Vladimirs G.
The recent incidents could hamper Latvian negotiations with NATO, since they prove that there is a lack of basic safety within the armed forces.
Deputy state secretary at the Ministry of Defense, Janis Sarts, who is also responsible for Latvia's NATO relations, said he doesn't think NATO will take an official position in this matter, but he didn't rule out that individual member states in the alliance could voice indignation over the incident.
"NATO is more interested in seeing improvements in the standard of our armed forces," Sarts said.
So far, more Latvian soldiers have died at the hands of brothers in arms on Latvian soil than by foreign troops while on international peacekeeping missions abroad.
In 1994 there were nine fatal incidents. In 2000, there was one. This year Vladimirs G. is the first.
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