10. november published ” the history of Ukrainian Dimitrij Kravtsjenko. Driven by war, falling wages, exchange rate and unemployment in the country, sought Dimitrij luck as snøkrabbefisker in the Barents sea. The fishing has had its base in Swansea, and our series, krabbekrigen, has Betpas documented the deplorable working conditions on board the boats in this fishery, wages down towards 4000 per month, and working up to 18 hours without rest days. Contracts which in many cases is in violation of the international minimum requirements, and which, according to experts fall under the category of human trafficking. Many of the boats have sailed under the Latvian flag, but to some extent, with Russian owners and so complicated arbeidsgiverstruktur that the responsibility pulveriseres. Thus stands the widow and the son of Dimitrij Kravtsjenko without any right to compensation after he disappeared at sea during a mission in september of this year.
Case features created political waves in Norway, but also in Latvia the media have put the issue on the agenda – with sensational claims about the Newspaper, the Latvian media that have covered the case, and the Norwegian state. Did you know that Norway now is accused of having interfered in the Latvian parliamentary elections, in cooperation with Russia?
The heaviest of the charges coming from Didzis Šmits, Latvian politician and lobbyist. He has, through the organisation Eurocrab represented the two Latvian companies which owns eight of the boats that have gone in snøkrabbefiske, in what has been called the “EUROPEAN union fleet”. Besides, he is the hired spokesperson for the one company, Baltjura-serviss.
Led at least 50 indonesiere to Båtsfjord with slavekontrakter
Šmits will no longer answer to our questions, but the way we have gotten it translated in Latvian media promoted a number of strong claims the last time. On his facebook wall the same day we published our first issue, he claimed that he “since early in our has received information that the Norwegian authorities have given the task to influence the electoral process in Latvia”. In a large tv-sent debate on the Latvian television recently, he argued that the Russian authorities were also inside the image. In addition to that the Norwegian EEA funds could be traced to the Latvian medieaktører who had interested themselves for the case. He claimed further that the Dagbladet documentation is bogus.
Dagbladet has worked for over a year with this sakskomplekset, and have done a comprehensive kildearbeid at home and abroad. We have used the geodata and the electronic tracking data to check the information and bildedokumentasjon towards the ferry, which actual movements. In comments and editorials, we have gone hard out against the Norwegian authorities ‘ lack of commitment and effort to clean up an industry that seems to be infected by the ruthless exploitation of people. If the Newspaper should have had an agenda to support the Norwegian government in a conflict with the EUROPEAN union about fishing rights, or participate in a conspiracy to strengthen the Norwegian rights, we have had a strange way of showing it.
DIRECT SPEECH: From the debate in the Latvian television, in the program Tieša runa (Direct speech), about Dagbladet revelations. Didzis Šmits second from left Photo: Screenshot View more
to understand this conflict, and the claims that are set forth in the Latvian media, we need to zoom out a bit. The EU fleet’s snøkrabbefiske in the Barents sea was stopped because of a disagreement between the Norwegian authorities and the EU. The fishing took place in the Smutthullet and in the fisheries protection around Svalbard. According to international agreements, Norway has the right of management of the shelf, while it is open for several players to fish in the waters. The controversy has gone on something so banal as if it is a sedentær art and thus a part of the shelf, or if it swims and is considered as a fish.
This video gets me to shame me,
This conflict is now up in the Norwegian Supreme court, where any oil and gas deposits on the continental shelf may lie in the pot. Dagbladet are reportedly putting the Latvian shipping companies in a bad light, in order to strengthen the Norwegian state’s case. Then it is worth to mention that the Newspaper earlier, the undersigned, have written that it might be a good idea that Norway does not have all the rights to this shelf.
at the same time, it is, of course, so that our reports puts the EU-fleet in a bad light. However, it is after all the Latvian rederienes responsibility. It makes both the owners and Didzis Šmits severe criticism in the Latvian press coverage, where they also get unngjelde for the lack of economic corporate social responsibility – the fleet has generated great revenue, but hardly any tax revenues to the country, according to the Latvian media.
Claims the players has spawned in the form of a jingoistic spillfekteri that is highly problematic. By pulling Russia in the case, the total without the documentation, try to also play on a historical conflict with the baltic country’s big neighbor in the east.
Our agenda is not related to states, not to business interests, but to arbeidsfolkene – regardless of where they come from. There are international agreements that clarify responsibilities, the national authorities ‘ will to enforce these, that will save the lives of such as Dimitrij Kravtsjenko. And provide worthy working conditions for all who have worked for him.
Dimitrij died at sea. Now try the wife to find out what happened
