Tokens: 12
.
I
have
no
doubt
that
–
with
hindsight
–
the
killing
of
the
men
and
women
on
27
May
1944
in
Mazie
Bati
can
be
considered
a
criminal
act
.
Understandable
as
it
may
seem
that
the
Partisans
wanted
to
take
revenge
for
the
betrayal
and
subsequent
massacre
of
their
fellow
Partisans
–
or
even
wanted
to
set
an
example
to
other
Latvian
villages
who
might
otherwise
be
willing
to
collaborate
with
the
occupying
German
forces
–
they
should
not
have
resorted
to
an
“
eye
for
an
eye
”
approach
and
should
have
chosen
other
means
.
Even
in
a
situation
of
war
,
and
even
allowing
for
the
difficulties
facing
a
Partisan
group
having
to
take
collaborators
prisoner
and
transport
them
to
a
safe
place
to
stand
trial
,
they
ought
not
to
have
killed
these
people
on
the
spot
.
Besides
,
some
of
the
killings
were
particularly
gruesome
.
And
although
the
applicant
was
not
found
guilty
by
the
Latvian
courts
of
having
carried
out
the
killings
himself
,
since
the
acts
happened
under
his
command
he
seems
to
have
borne
responsibility
as
the
field
commander
in
charge
of
events
.
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