AJC Works With Estonian, Latvian And Lithuanian Governments To Establish Commissions To Investigate The Holocaust And Post-War Periods

American Jewish Committee
Thursday, 14 May 1998

The Presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, at a special joint news conference held after consultation with American Jewish Committee leaders, announced the formation of individual commissions to investigate the Holocaust and the post-war period.

Nicholas Lane, Chair of AJC's International Relations Commission, and Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of European Affairs, were invited by Estonian President Lennart Meri to accompany him to Riga for the semi-annual summit meeting of the Presidents of the three Baltic nations, and to advise them on the creation and ongoing work of the commissions.

The announcement of the commissions was made in a joint press statement released on May 12 at the close of the summit meeting. The Presidents had met earlier that day to discuss issues of mutual concern to the three countries, including cooperation among the Baltic states and in the Baltic Sea region, the process of European integration, and European and regional stability and security.

The joint statement read, in part: "The Presidents agreed to initiate commissions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which could fill significant gaps in the knowledge of the tragic events in the history of those countries in the years 1939 – 1991, and especially during World War II and its immediate aftermath. The project would promote research on the persecution, deportation and extermination of Estonia's, Latvia's and Lithuania's citizens as a consequence of the Nazi and Soviet occupations."

On May 13, at a special press conference in Tallinn, President Meri, joined by Mr. Lane and Rabbi Baker, announced the creation of an International Research Commission in Estonia.

An official statement indicated that the commission "proceeds from the fact that the genocide perpetrated against the Estonian people in the course of the occupations has disposed Estonians to be understanding and sympathetic towards the people who have been persecuted on a national scale due to their ethnic or racial origin….The Republic of Estonia confirms that each citizen of [Estonia] who lives in Estonia and will be proved guilty of crimes perpetrated against humanity by the Nazi occupation authorities against the Jewish people or other peoples; or who will be proved guilty of crimes perpetrated against humanity by the Soviet occupation authorities against Estonians and other peoples, will be brought to trial in the court and has to undergo judicial punishment."

It added: "The initiating group is not aware of any Nazi criminals living in freedom in Estonia at the moment, but the initiating group will investigate any evidence that will be presented to the group. In free and democratic Estonia there is no anti-Semitism or racism on the national level, but they manifest themselves on the level of everyday life. The Government of Estonia and the Estonian legal system have adopted measures for the eradication of such manifestations in Estonia and are doing it in close cooperation with our ethnic minorities and international organizations, including the American Jewish Committee."

Mr. Lane and Rabbi Baker praised all three nations for their intent to establish official historical commissions. The AJC welcomes the invitation to work with these governments in assisting the work of the commissions.

Similarly, AJC Executive Director David A. Harris and special consultant on Latin America Jacob Kovadloff are members of the Argentine commission established to investigate the Second World War and its aftermath.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org