Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Latvians: Don't criticize your economy

Yesterday I posted about the arrest of Latvian eonomist Dmitrijs Smirnovs. His crime? Painting a gloomy (but accurate) picture of the Latvian economy.

What I've learned since that a musician was drew the attention of Latvian authorities for making a flippant remark about the recent nationalization of a bank.

Speaking out about the economic crisis has become dangerous in the Baltic state of Latvia where a new law against spreading false financial information has outraged human rights campaigners.

In one of a string of high-profile cases, Latvian musician Valters Fridenbergs faced a police investigation after he urged the audience to withdraw their money from two major banks -- but only after the show ended.

He later claimed it was a joke, but the police launched a probe nonetheless.

Related post:

Latvian economist detained by police for being too pessimistic

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