A/71/325 Soviet Socialist Republics in 1940 was a heinous crime and that its occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was an act of liberation of the Latvian peopl e from the Bolshevist oppression. 60. The Committee reported that the Latvian Parliament had adopted a declaration on Latvian legionnaires during the Second World War on 29 October 1998, in which the State undertook to protect the honour and dignity of the Latvian legionnaires, equating veterans of the “Lettland” division of Waffen SS to members of the national liberation movement. 61. The Committee also pointed out that Latvia has been holding annual days in honour of Latvian legionnaires since 1998, and that Latvian schools and preschools hold so­called “lessons of patriotism” where children are allegedly taught about the history of Waffen SS veterans as an example of how to protect their homeland. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that these commemorations are private events, not supported by the State. Nevertheless, the Committee claimed that, several days before these annual commemorations, Latvia tightens its border controls and issues blacklists in order to prevent members of intern ational anti-fascist movements from entering the country to counter the commemorations. C. Latvian Human Rights Committee 62. The Latvian Human Rights Committee reported on the annual march honouring the veterans of the Latvian Waffen SS legion, whic h took place in the centre of Riga in March 2016 with the participation of Members of Parliament from the co­ruling National Alliance Party. With regard to the possible participation of the Government to the events, the Committee reported that the Prime Minister allegedly said that he had instructed the cabinet ministers not to participate, but that he would not hinder their participation or condemn any official for participation in the event. 63. The Committee also reported that, in September 2015, a court had acquitted Mr. Leonards Inkins a prominent far-right activist, for a second time. Mr. Inkins has allegedly promoted an old anti­Semitic forgery called the “Catechism of a Soviet Jew”. On a positive note, the Committee pointed out the holding, in March 2016, of the first­ever criminal case for inciting religious hatred. The Committee also reported on the refusal of the Register of Enterprises to register the web portal www.zarya.lv, which was founded by several radical opposition activists and a non-governmental organization. The Register of Enterprises allegedly claimed that the goal of the web portal was to grant citizenship to “non­citizens”. D. World Veterans Federation 64. The World Veterans Federation reported that the glorification of Nazism and the Nazi movement, as well as the rise of neo-Nazism and the desecration of monuments and memorials to those who fought against Nazism, are issues of great concern to its membership. The Federation mentioned numerous resolutions on this matter adopted by various General Assemblies of the Federation, in particular those adopted in 2009 and 2012. 14/20 16-13939