Parliament to Pass Resolution Honoring Resistance to Occupying Powers
With Independence Day around the corner, Parliament is preparing to adopt a declaration recognizing those who resisted totalitarianism and fought for Estonian freedom during various occupations in the nation's history.
“Proceeding from the fact that according to international law, the legal continuity of the Republic of Estonia, that was occupied in World War II, was not interrupted, [Parliament] pays tribute to the citizens of the Republic of Estonia who, in the years of Soviet or Nazi German occupation, acted in the name of de facto restoration of the Republic of Estonia,” a draft version of the declaration says.
The resolution - an effort of the small country of Estonia to reaffirm its historical views - has been somewhat controversial, and has gained attention in the international news media, because of speculation over whether the declaration would honor all soldiers who fought for Estonian freedom - including those who, forcibly or voluntarily, served in the ranks of the Nazi German army.
But MPs said there is no reason why the short and carefully diplomatic declaration should annoy any other country - meaning Russia.
In fact, MP Aivar Riisalu, from the more liberal wing of Parliament, had hoped for the declaration to go further. "I would have been bolder. There is nothing to fear," he said on Thursday.
Indeed, the text does not mention anyone specifically, such as the Forest Brothers or political prisoners, and it does not define Estonia's heroes based on which side of WWII they fought on. Mati Raidma, chairman of Parliament's committee on defense, emphasized that the declaration excludes those guilty of crimes against humanity or war crimes, and that Estonia has repeatedly condemned both Nazi and Communist crimes in previous resolutions.
“Parliament condemns the repressive politics of the Soviet Union and National Socialist Germany and the activities of the persons who, in the service of these regimes, have committed crimes against humanity, irrespective of their citizenship and location of commitment of these crimes,” the declaration says.
It continues, “Like all democratic states that remember their history, Estonia has the moral duty to acknowledge the citizens who contributed to the foundation of our state and de facto restoration of its independent statehood. Paying tribute to those who offered resistance to the occupation regimes with words and deeds, the Parliament of Estonia emphasizes: nobody who has stood for the Republic of Estonia is ignored or forgotten […] Genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, including participation in the Holocaust and mass repressions, deserve full condemnation and have nothing in common with resistance to totalitarian systems.”
The resolution will most likely be adopted next Tuesday.
Ott Tammik