The Keys ep17 KGB agents' index or the so-called ‘Cheka bags’
When Latvia gained independence 27 years ago, it took over the files of the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the Latvian SSR, including its index of secret informers. All former employees of the KGB – that is, also the informers – were officially banned from holding certain offices. They still cannot be elected officials or public servants.
Since the 1990s the trove of sensitive KGB documents has been the hot potato, its status remaining undecided for many years. The main dispute concerned the index – should the list of informant names be published or not? For three legislative periods, the Saeima passed on the issue. For four years, the KGB files were researched by a specially appointed committee. Has the disclosure of the informer names brought the longed-for social cleansing? There are no easy answers to this question.
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