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Moscow says Latvia’s blacklisting Russian religious figures goes beyond limits of reason

RIGA, November 28. /TASS/. Russia’s embassy in Latvia has voiced criticism of the Latvian authorities’ blacklisting Russian religious figures as going beyond the limits of reason and resembling witch hunt.

"Putting Russian Orthodox Church archdeacon Andrei Kuraev on the list of persons banned from entering Latvia is beyond understanding," Yekaterina Vysotskaya, a spokeswoman for the Russian embassy, told TASS on Monday. "The Russian embassy learnt that Kuraev was barred from entering Latvia via unofficial channels."

"As for Latvia’s blacklist of personae non grata, regrettably, its extension has become a regular practice in the recent time. We think that the extension of this list by adding people of culture, religious and public figures goes beyond the limits of reason to resemble a real witch hunt," she said.

Kuraev arrived in Riga on Saturday, November 26, to attend a philosophical seminar. However he was stopped by Latvian border officers at the Riga airport to hear that his name had been put on the list of those banned from entering Latvia at the request of the national security police.

Currently, Latvia’s blacklist has the names of several thousand foreigners, including Russians.