🇷🇺 The Russian Embassy in Latvia continues to tell stories about the Russian pensioners, who following the implementation by the Latvian authorities of discriminatory amendments to the Immigration law, have been left destitute and are now under the threat of deportation.

❗️Today's story is about a 72-year-old resident of Liepaja, who is visually impaired at birth and in need of constant care and support;

• in advance, in December 2022, with the assistance of relatives, she began collecting documents to extend her residence permit;

• however, even for an almost blind person, obtaining a medical exemption from the Latvian language exam turned out to be an impossible mission - the woman had to undergo a comprehensive medical check-up. Due to queues for some specialists, the whole process prolonged till November 2023;

• as a result, being unable to receive the coveted certificate on time, the elderly woman had to undergo language testing. Visually impaired, she did not score for obvious reasons the required number of points in such aspects as reading and writing;

• due to the cancellation of a permanent residence permit, the Russian citizen lost the opportunity to receive a pension granted to her for multiple years of work in Latvia and medical care, including the purchase of prescription medications;

• worry and stress caused by the need to undergo an examination and a number of bureaucratic procedures have significantly undermined the already poor health of the elderly person;

⚠️ now she is under the threat of deportation.

#No_To_Discrimination
#Discrimination_in_Latvia
#Russian_Pensioners
#Cancellation_Of_Residence_Permits
#Human_Rights_Violation

🇷🇺 The Russian Embassy in Latvia continues to tell stories about Russian pensioners who following implementation by Riga of discriminatory amendments to the law “On Immigration” have lost their residence permits, have been left destitute and are under the threat of deportation:

• Today's story is about 71-year-old spouses from Riga, who suffer from congenital deaf-mutism and have permanent disability;

• being law-abiding citizens, in accordance with migration law, promptly started re-issuing a residence permit;

• however, even having all the necessary documents confirming the status of a disabled person, as well as a certificate of graduation from a school for the deaf, the elderly couple didn't manage to overcome bureaucratic barriers and obtain a medical exemption from the Latvian language exam;

• as a result, as expected, they did not score the required number of points in such sections as speaking and listening;

🚫 due to the failure to pass the exam, the Russian citizens had their permanent residence permit revoked, and received letters with prescription to leave the territory of Latvia;

• as a result, the married couple, who found themselves in an “illegal” situation, have lost access to social benefits, banking services, as well as free medical care in Latvia;

❗️all these atrocities occur despite the explanations of the UN Human Rights Committee, which clearly state that the deportation of people who have lived in the state for more than 10 years is unacceptable without compelling reasons.

#No_To_Discrimination
#Discrimination_in_Latvia
#Russian_Pensioners
#Residence_Permit_Revocation
#Human_Rights_Violation

🇷🇺Commentary by the Russian Embassy in Latvia:

❗️We are highly disappointed with the verdict of the Constitutional Court of Latvia, which has recognized that the migration amendments that threaten thousands of Russian citizens with deportation comply with the Basic Law of the Republic and international legal norms.

🔹The judicial power in the Republic of Latvia, designed to be independent and impartial, has today publicly proved its unconditional service to the opportunistic interests of the current ruling elite of Latvia, which, in an effort to “annoy” Russia, does not hesitate to commit reprisals against elderly people - holders of Russian passports.

🔹The inhumane and ruthless norm, hastily adopted at the suggestion of local nationalists by the outgoing Saeima at the height of the political struggle in September 2022, threatens to destroy fate of thousands of Russian citizens, many of whom were literally excluded from the life of the country, deprived of not only the right to further stay in it, but also of the access to basic social benefits.

🔹Unfortunately, not everyone is able to cope with the trials and emotional turmoil that have befallen them - it is reliably known about dozens of cases where, as a result of the stress and deprivation of the right to free medical care, Russians subjected to trials experienced worsening of chronic diseases, which led to hospitalization and even lethal outcome.

❗️The Latvian “Themis” did not have the courage to admit the legal inconsistency of this draconian law, both in the moral and legal sense. Instead, the judiciary chose to shift responsibility onto Russian citizens themselves, whose average age is 70, cynically accusing them of unwillingness to learn the Latvian language and meet the “high democratic standards” of modern Latvia.

🔹Judging by the text of the announced verdict, which was replete with politicized anti-Russian passages, ideological bias prevailed over common sense and legal argumentation.

#No_To_Discrimination
#Human_Rights_Violation