Kremlin activist Gushchin after nine months in custody
Viktor Gushchin, a Russian compatriot policy activist, has been released from custody in Riga after nine months. He remains under police supervision and is prohibited from leaving Latvia while facing charges of violating EU sanctions.
Why it matters
The case underscores the legal challenges and tensions surrounding EU sanctions enforcement against individuals linked to Russian state interests.
Riga City Court on Wednesday released from custody Viktor Gushchin, a long-time activist involved in Russia’s “compatriot policy”, who is accused of violating European Union (EU) sanctions by providing publications to a Russian propaganda outlet.
The court changed the security measure previously imposed on Gushchin from detention to police supervision. As an additional security measure, he has been prohibited from leaving the country.
Gushchin spent approximately nine months in custody. He was released in the courtroom immediately after the court announced its decision.
The defendant himself had requested that the security measure be changed to one not involving detention.
Gushchin’s lawyer, Imma Jansone, said she viewed the court’s decision positively, stressing that due to his age and health condition, the defendant would not be capable of fleeing the country.
Prosecutor Kaspars Ķikuts declined to comment.
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