Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: Ko Rips te ākonga kura tuarua tuatahi mai i Latvia ki te whai wāhi ki te International Mathematical Olympiad. I te marama o Hanuere 1969 i rongo ia mai i te whakarongo ki te reo irirangi o te Hauauru --- i te wa i ture ai te USSR --- o te tahunga tinana o te akonga Czechoslovak a Jan Palach. I te 13 o Paenga-whāwhā 1969, ko Rips, he ākonga paetahi i te Whare Wānanga o Latvia, i whakamātau ki te whakaeke i a ia i roto i te whakahe ki te
Ko te whakaekenga a te Soviet o Czechoslovakia. Whai muri i tana whakatuwhera i tetahi kupu whakaari i hangaia e ia ano e whakahe ana i te nohoanga o Czechoslovakia ka whakaarahia e ia he rama ka tahuna e ia ana kakahu hinu hinu. I taea e tētahi rōpū o ngā kaimātakitaki te whakamutu tere i te ahi, i puta ai he tahunga anake ki te kaki me ngā ringa o Rips. Ahakoa i whara ia, i kawea ia ki te tari KGB o te rohe, ā, i uiuia. I mauheretia ia e te kāwanatanga o te Soviet mo nga tau e rua. I muri i te horapa o tana korero i waenga i nga porowhita pāngarau o te Hauauru me te ngaru o nga petihana, i tukuna a Rips i te 1971. I te tau e whai ake nei, ka whakaaetia ia kia heke ki Iharaira.