Tokens: 20
.
In
the
light
of
the
above
-
cited
principles
as
restated
in
Kononov
,
it
remains
unclear
what
the
Court
is
stating
in
paragraphs
165
and
166
of
the
present
judgment
when
it
finds
it
clear
that
the
applicant
’s
conviction
was
based
upon
legal
provisions
which
were
not
in
force
in
1953
and
that
such
provisions
were
applied
retroactively
.
It
is
self
-
evident
that
the
Lithuanian
legislation
of
1992
or
2004
was
not
in
force
on
Lithuanian
territory
in
1953
,
for
the
simple
reason
that
the
State
was
occupied
by
foreign
forces
.
The
principle
adopted
by
the
Court
in
comparable
cases
involving
Germany
or
Latvia
is
that
criminal
proceedings
brought
following
a
change
of
regime
in
respect
of
crimes
committed
under
the
previous
regime
are
,
in
principle
,
compatible
with
the
Convention
,
provided
that
the
Article
7
standard
is
met
.
The
test
under
Article
7
in
cases
involving
a
change
of
political
regime
or
State
sovereignty
over
a
territory
is
not
a
negative
one
;
in
other
words
,
a
violation
of
Article
7
occurs
where
a
State
brings
a
prosecution
on
the
basis
of
the
new
law
because
,
in
formal
terms
,
the
law
is
indeed
new
unless
some
special
circumstances
exclude
that
violation
.
Judges
Rozakis
,
Tulkens
,
Spielmann
and
Jebens
summed
up
the
Court
’s
principle
very
correctly
in
their
concurring
opinion
in
Kononov
when
they
stated
:
“
Hence
no
one
can
speak
of
retrospective
application
of
substantive
law
,
when
a
person
is
convicted
,
even
belatedly
,
on
the
basis
of
rules
existing
at
the
time
of
the
commission
of
the
act
.
”
The
assessment
of
compliance
with
Article
7
begins
with
the
question
of
which
rules
,
under
either
domestic
or
international
law
,
governed
the
acts
under
investigation
at
the
time
those
acts
were
committed
.
It
does
not
begin
with
the
pronouncement
that
there
is
a
retroactive
application
of
the
law
,
because
the
statute
was
evidently
adopted
subsequently
to
the
events
.
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