The Bridge publishes a statement by Robert Porietis, a resident of the Latvian SSR, addressed to the highest Soviet leadership. Dated November 1973, the document recounts what Porietis, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War and a factory worker, describes as a series of unlawful actions by Soviet authorities. These included his arrest after demanding that officials comply with Soviet law, a subsequent rehabilitation without compensation, a second arrest on fabricated moonshining charges, and a violent, warrantless search. Ultimately, the statement stands as a rare example of open protest against the Soviet justice system, local arbitrariness, corruption, and the complete lack of legal protection for ordinary citizens. Porietis concludes that his only recourse is to leave the Soviet Union and emigrate to the United States.
Source: Riga City Archive
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