The Government of Latvia approved amendments to the Penal Code, which tighten the punishment for illegal suppression of the state border. This is reported by the DELFI portal.
In accordance with the amendments, the illegal crossing of the border is recognized as a grave crime, and for its commission, it is threatened for not two years in prison, and four.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Latvia noted that the tightening of punishment is necessary to combat illegal migration.
Previously, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Nordic and Baltic region Elizabeth Haslund expressed concern because of news of violence used by Latvia in relation to illegal immigrants. She also drew attention to reports that Latvian border guards crowd out migrants back to the Belarusian territory.
In August, in Latvia, they announced the introduction of an emergency (emergency room) in the areas bordering from Belarus due to the influx of illegal immigrants. The relevant decree of power obliged the army and the police to promote border guards in the capture of foreigners who were illegally entering the territory of the country.