Russian historian and Korea specialist Andrei Lankov was detained in Riga on Tuesday and expelled from Latvia.
Lankov had travelled to the Latvian capital to deliver a public lecture titled «North Korea: What the Elite Wants and Fears.» However, the event never took place as municipal police officers arrived and escorted him to the immigration service.
It later emerged that Latvia’s Foreign Ministry had declared Lankov persona non grata on February 20, though the reasons for the travel ban have not been disclosed.
In a statement on his Telegram channel, Lankov said he was taken to the immigration office, processed, and then driven to the Estonian border.
«Basically, it’s clear. The authorities do not like that I present reality without turning it into politically useful satire. I do not intend to take any action regarding this, as I see no point,» he wrote.
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