http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/4f2b2fd64af07e45 https://verfassungsblog.de/istanbul-convention-latvia/ The Monster Screaming the Loudest - Latvia’s Attempted Withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention Engīzers, Kalvis eng 2026-01-07 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Gender-Based Violance Istanbul Convention Istanbul-Konvention (2011 Mai 11) LGBTQ+ rights Lettland Women rights gender and sex discrimination gender based violence gender equality latvia Istanbul-Konvention (2011 Mai 11) Lettland Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 In late October 2025, the majority of the Latvian Parliament voted to denounce the Istanbul Convention. This move faced considerable civic protests and was ultimately suspended due to a presidential veto. Nevertheless, what happened in Latvia was not a mere national power play. The withdrawal attempt was a manifestation of a broader challenge posed to Latvia and to Europe in general by disinformation, the growing backsliding threats to constitutional democracies, and by an ancient monster still lurking in the shadows of Europe.