Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, is aiming to pass a new law that would require the demolition of all sites and objects “glorifying the Soviet and Nazi Regime” on the territory of the country. The bill, which passed its first reading on Wednesday and is expected to be adopted by June 16, will make it mandatory for local municipalities to disassemble any Soviet monuments on their territory by the proposed deadline of November 15, 2022.
Under the proposed law, relevant local governments will be entitled to propose dismantling monuments regardless of the site’s ownership and without coordination with the legal owner of the object or the land on which it is located.
The bill’s text also estimates that there are currently around 300 monuments, memorial plates, and memorial sites dedicated to the Soviet Union in Latvia, and calls for the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers to draw up a list of objects that are to be dismantled by the end of July 2022.