Latvia May Suspend Visa Issuance to Uzbek Citizens

The Latvian Ministry of the Interior has proposed temporarily restricting the issuance of visas to citizens of Uzbekistan. The Ministry attributes this initiative to incidents involving certain Uzbek citizens who committed crimes shortly after arriving in the country. The publication Rus.Delfi reported this news.
Latvian Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava noted that several Uzbek citizens committed crimes shortly after their arrival. He stated that these incidents included crimes committed against minors. According to him, to prevent such occurrences, Latvia needs to strengthen cooperation with Uzbekistan on security matters and prevent the entry of individuals who could pose a threat to public safety.
However, no final decision has yet been made regarding a temporary suspension of visa issuance for Uzbek citizens.
For context, on September 4, an Uzbek citizen was detained in the Latvian city of Jelgava on suspicion of committing sexual violence against a minor. A criminal case was initiated against an individual born in 1987, and a preventive measure of detention was applied by court order on September 6.