On February 24, 2026, Latvian police detained Andrei Lankov, a Russian scholar and expert on North Korean politics and history, ahead of a lecture in Riga. He was turned over to immigration authorities and deported to Estonia.

Lankov was at a scheduled stop on his European speaking tour to deliver a public lecture titled “North Korea: What Leaders Want and Fear” at a hotel. Half an hour before the event, police and immigration officials told him that the foreign ministry of Latvia had included him on its list of undesirable people. Following a brief detention, he was escorted to the border and released into Estonia, the next destination on his tour.

Latvian police did not provide a specific reason for detaining and deporting Lankov but confirmed he was blacklisted and permanently barred from entering Latvia under Section 61 of the Immigration Law. This section outlines grounds for blacklisting foreign nationals, including ties to anti-state or criminal organizations or activities deemed to pose a threat to national security, public order, or public safety. A former national security official was quoted as believing Latvian authorities “possessed evidence sufficient to view Lankov’s presence as a serious security concern.”

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary deportation of a scholar participating in an academic activity. State authorities have an obligation to respect academic freedom and to refrain from imposing arbitrary restrictions on movement that limit academic freedom. Such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/russia-north-korea-latvia-lankov-detention-8440d68f6d37162b38bdd7f20cd0400c
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260303/latvias-blacklisting-of-andrei-lankov-russia-phobia-or-tightened-security
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-andrei-lankov-detained-latvia-north-korea-b2926991.html