Newsgroup: it.cultura.storia
Titolo: The Failure to Prosecute Nazi War Criminals in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia 19

The Failure to Prosecute Nazi War Criminals in Lithuania, Latvia, and
Estonia 1991-2002
Although numerous Baltic Nazi war criminals were brought to trial by the
Soviet authorities following the reoccupation of the Baltics in 1944, many
Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian Holocaust perpetrators remained
unprosecuted when these countries regained their independence in 1991.
Some were still living in the Baltics, while many others had escaped
towards the end of World War II to Germany or Sweden from whence most
subsequently emigrated overseas to the United States, Canada, Australia,
and Great Britain or other destinations. In some of these countries of
refuge &#8211; primarily in the United States &#8211; successful efforts
were already underway to identify and take legal action against these
Holocaust perpetrators, a policy which ultimately led to the return of
some of these war criminals to their native land. Thus when Lithuania,
Latvia, and Estonia once again became independent, there were quite a few
cases of Baltic Nazi war criminals which could and should have been dealt
with the local authorities. What has been achieved in this regard during
the past more than eleven years of Baltic independence? 
Lithuania
By virtue of its large prewar Jewish community, which was almost totally
annihilated during the Holocaust, Lithuania had the largest number of
Holocaust perpetrators in the Baltics. To date, however, not a single
Lithuanian Nazi war criminal has been punished for his crimes in
independent Lithuania, nor has a single such criminal ever sat a single
minute in a Lithuanian jail. 
The three cases that have been initiated to date - none of which resulted
in a jail sentence &#8211; are those of Saugumas commanders Aleksandras
Lileikis (indicted but his trial was never completed due to medical
reasons) and Kazys Gimzauskas (convicted but his sentence was suspended
due to medical reasons) and 12th Auxiliary Battalion officer Antanas
Gecevicius (died before he could be extradited from Scotland). 
During this period, at least eleven Lithuanian Nazi war criminals who
escaped to the United States after World War II, have returned to
Lithuania in the wake of legal action taken against them by the US Justice
Department. Out of the people in this group only Lileikis and Gimzauskas
were indicted and only the latter was convicted. No legal action has been
taken to date against any of the others. 
LATVIA
The only concrete action taken by the government against a Latvian Nazi
war criminal was the indictment on September 27, 2000 of Arajs Kommando
officer Konrad Kalejs whose extradition was sought from Australia. Kalejs
died before he could be extradited to stand trial in Riga. 
The only investigations currently being conducted by the Latvian Division
for the Investigation of Crimes by Totalitarian Regimes are against Arajs
Kommando officers Karlis Ozols and Kalejs, both already deceased. 
ESTONIA
Estonia has failed to take legal action against a single Estonian Nazi war
criminal and has failed to initiate any investigations of Nazi war
criminals upon its own initiative. 
1. Aleksandras Lileikis &#8211; commander of the Saugumas (Lithuanian
Security Police) in the Vilnius district 
- escaped to the United States after World War II 
- denaturalized by US in May 24, 1996 
- arrives in Lithuania on June 18, 1996 
- indicted in Vilnius on February 6, 1998 
- one courtroom appearance (10 minutes) on November 5, 1998 
- trial suspended on medical grounds &#8211; September 1999 
- one trial session held using video link on June 23, 2000 
- Lileikis dies on September 26, 2000 &#8211; without being convicted
2. Kazys Gimzauskas &#8211; deputy commander of the Saugumas in the
Vilnius district 
- escaped to the Untied States after World War II 
- USA files denaturalization suit &#8211; 1991 
- arrives in Lithuania &#8211; 1993 
- denaturalized by USA in 1996 
- indicted in Vilnius on November 20, 1997 
- ruled medically unfit to stand trial on February 28, 1999 
- convicted of participation in genocide on January 14, 2001 without ever
attending a single court session; punishment suspended for medical reasons
3. Antanas Gecevicius (Anton Gecas) &#8211; officer in the 12th Lithuanian
Auxiliary Police Battalion 
- escaped to Scotland after World War II 
- extradition request submitted by Lithuania to Scotland on March 26, 2001 
- Scotland approves extradition on July 27, 2001 
- Gecivicius dies on September 12, 2001 before he can be extradited to
Lithuania to stand trial.
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 July 22, 2002
WIESENTHAL CENTER REJECTS ESTONIAN POLICE FINDINGS; CALLS FOR RETRACTION
OF FALSE STATEMENT
 
The Simon Wiesenthal Center categorically rejected the findings announced
today by the Director-General of the Estonian Security Police Board Juri
Pihl who claimed that the 36th Estonian Police Battalion did not
participate in the murder of Jews in Nowogrudok, Belarus on August 7, 1942
or in any other war crimes and therefore would not investigate the
seventeen members of that unit who were decorated by the Nazis in December
1942 and whose names were submitted to him on July 10 by the
Center&#8217;s Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff who asked the Estonian
authorities to investigate their cases. 
In a letter to Pihl, Zuroff pointed to the explicit findings of the
Estonian International Commission for the Investigations of Crimes Against
Humanity which clearly states on page 7 that &#8220;The 36th Police
Battalion participated on August 7, 1942 in the gathering together and
shooting of almost all the Jews still surviving in the town of
Nowogrudok.&#8221; Zuroff demanded that Pihl retract his statement,
published today in Estonia, and immediately carry out a comprehensive
investigation of the cases submitted by the Wiesenthal Center. 
According to Zuroff, &#8220;The unprofessional and incompetent results of
the investigation carried out in this case raises serious doubts as to the
ability of the Security Police Board to properly investigate the cases of
Estonian Nazi war criminals. Under these circumstances, one can only doubt
whether any Holocaust perpetrators will ever be held accountable in
Estonia. 
&#8220;I urge you to immediately retract your statement and begin in
earnest to fully investigate these cases in the proper manner.&#8221;
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