crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
Girts Valdis Kristovskis *
The need for a reAppraisal of the European history
First, I would like to express my thanks for having the opportunity to participate at the 1 st European
Hearing on “Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes”, which was organised by the Commission
and the Presidency of the European Council, on the initiative of Justice Commissioner Frattini.
I would like to emphasise that, as someone from Eastern Europe – Latvia, the general attitude
of “old, democratic Europe” to questions relating to reflection on historical events, which took place
around the time of World War II, is not acceptable to me. That was a time when two totalitarian regimes,
namely Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union, collaborated and started war, destroying a whole
group of democratic European States. Among those states were the Baltic States. Millions of people
suffered. They were transferred to, and incarcerated in, the death camps of both totalitarian regimes. In
this way, several tens of millions of people in the USSR and its occupied territories were annihilated.
The destruction of nationally minded and patriotic people at the hand of the exterminating power of
the USSR continued long after Nazi Germany was crushed. Thousands of people in the Baltic States,
using partisan methods, continued to fight the occupation forces for more than ten years after the end
of World War Two. Many hoped that the Western democracies would help the Baltic States to regain
their independence, giving them the chance to return to Western values, their cultural and a democratic
environment. However, the Western democracies, taking account only their own interests and fearful
of the military power of the USSR, accepted at length – for over half a century – the subjugation of the
nations of Eastern Europe, and their societies, to the whims of the Communist regimes. We will have
the opportunity to ascertain the consequences of this Western ideology for a long time.
Even today, nearly 20 years after the collapse of the USSR, there continues a denial of the crimes
of Stalinist Communist regimes. Especially absurd is the fact that Nazi crimes are condemned, but
Communist crimes are justified (or excused), or are grossly trivialised. Unfortunately, even today,
Russia still endeavours to justify the repressions in the Baltic States, both in the pre-war and postwar
periods, as having been essential. That cannot be permitted. Such double standards destroy the
prestige of the European Union, lead to disbelief and are contradictory to the stated aims of the Berlin
Declaration adopted last year which provides inter alia that “the unnatural division of Europe is now
consigned to the past. European integration shows that we have learnt the painful lessons of a history
marked by bloody conflict”.
Yes – it is true that the deceased are no longer able to defend themselves. However, to the ears of
those, who are still alive, but suffered at the hands of the repressive communist regimes in the states
of Eastern Europe, phrases such as those in the Berlin Declaration, a document supposedly espousing
values, sound like cheap lies. A whole lot of questions arise from this. What was intended by the Berlin
Declaration? What has today’s Europe concretely learned from its painful past? You will ask why?
Let me give you an example. Last year the EU Justice Ministers reached agreement on a Framework
Decision on combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia.
It deals with such crimes as incitement to hatred and violence and publicly condoning or grossly
trivializing crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes: “/.../ as defined in the Statute of
the International Criminal Court (Articles 6, 7, 8) and also crimes defined by the Tribunal of Nuremberg
(Article 6 of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal, London Agreement of 1945).” 1
The Framework Decision underlines, that “Member States will ensure that such conduct may be
punishable by imprisonment”. 2
The reference to the Nuremberg Tribunal unmistakably shows that it relates only to Nazi crimes.
But at the same time, the Framework decision underlines, that “it does not cover crimes committed
on other grounds e.g. by totalitarian regimes”. 3
* Girts Valdis Kristovskis, Member of the European Parliament.
1
Framework decision on Racism and Xenophobia, Council of the EU, Luxembourg, 19 April 2007 8665/07.
2
Framework decision on Racism and Xenophobia, Council of the EU, Luxembourg, 19 April 2007 8665/07.
3
Framework decision on Racism and Xenophobia, Council of the EU, Luxembourg, 19 April 2007 8665/07.
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