Latvian Security Agency Says Sputnik Journalist Accused Of Violating EU Sanctions

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th January, 2023) Latvia's national security agency said Thursday that Marat Kasem, a Sputnik journalist detained in Riga this week, stood accused of violating EU sanctions.

It said in a statement that the Latvian national was detained on January 3 "on suspicion of transferring economic resources... to a (media) outlet that is subject to EU sanctions.

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A court in Riga rejected Kasem's bailout bid at a hearing on Thursday and ordered him to be taken in custody. He is being held at the Riga Central Prison.

The journalist's lawyer in Latvia said earlier that he had also been accused of spying but the Latvian security authority did not confirm this.

Kasem heads Sputnik Lithuania editorial desk at Moscow-based Rossiya Segodnya. He arrived in Latvia in late December for family reasons. Dmitry Kiselev, director general of Rossiya Segodnya, said Kasem had faced political persecution in the Baltic states.