A Latvian journalist splitting my time between three Baltic capitals – Latvia's Riga, Lithuania's Vilnius and Estonia's Tallinn. I blog about Latvia and the Baltics.
Latest posts by Aleks Tapinsh
Latvia: Concerns Over the Future of the Largest Daily, Free Press
With the ownership of the largest daily newspaper, Diena, in question, many journalists in Latvia fear business interests and political influence would rule the news coverage ahead of the October parliamentary elections.
Latvia: Freedom of Speech Controversy
Prominent Latvians are outraged over the detention of a university lecturer at a seaside town of Ventspils by the security police. The economic crisis, a bank bailout, and the launched talks with the International Monetary Fund served as a backdrop for the arrest of Dmitrijs Smirnovs, who said this during a discussion at a provincial newspaper Ventas Balss: "The only thing that I can recommend is: first of all, do not save money in banks; second of all, do not save money in lats because right now it is very dangerous."