RIGA, Dec 9 (LETA) - The Latvian Society of Art Historians and Curators (LMZKB) as well as several creative sector organizations are calling for a one-year moratorium on the relocation of monuments associated with totalitarian regimes, and propose a debate on a transformation of the cultural environment.

As LMZKB chair Silvija Grosa informed LETA, the organization proposes introducing the moratorium in 2025 and assessing the result of the relocations of monuments started in 2022, as well as laying groundwork for a balanced discussion on possible changes to the cultural landscape, including the need for new memorials.

According to the LMZKB, the proposal is supported by the Latvian Composers Union, the Latvian Filmmakers Union, the Latvian Artists Union and the Choreographers Association.

In an open letter, the LMZKB says that the restoration of Latvia's independence in 1991 was "an objective process, understandable and acceptable to the public - the monuments to Lenin and other Communist Party leaders were removed from the public space, while populated places, streets and squares regained their historical names".

In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Saeima passed a law stating that during the past 30 years of independence Latvia had lived with objects glorifying the Soviet and Nazi regimes, which should finally be removed. The Victory Park monument in Pardaugava, Riga, with the pro-Russia demonstrations held in the area, was the main reason for the adoption of this law, which, as the organization points out, was understandable. The government then drafted and approved the list of 69 memorial sites to be dismantled.

However, the creative sector organizations argue that subsequent actions have been lacking consistence. They are also convinced that the dismantling of the monuments is being used to raise political capital for the 2025 municipal elections.

"We would like to remind that these monuments are not only imprints of the past regime, but also part of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the Soviet period and evidence of the history of the occupation, which should be involved in the process of explaining and updating history," the LMZKB says in the statement.

As reported, the Riga City Council's decision to transform and relocate the sculpture of Latvian author Andrejs Upitis has triggered a heated public debate. Authors of the idea say that when split in two, the sculpture would reflect the writer's dual nature.