War crimes trials in Soviet Estonia: Difference between revisions

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Trials were held by Soviet authorities in Soviet-occupied Estonia in 1961 for war criminals collaborating in the execution of the Holocaust in Estonia. The accused were charged with murdering up to 5000 German Jews near the Kalevi-Liiva concentration camp in 1942. The public show trials were held in the Estonia Theatre and were followed by a mass audience. All three defendants were convicted to death, two of them were executed shortly after.

The accused

Ralf Gerrets, the deputy commandant at the Jagala/Kalevi-Liiva camp
Ain-Ervin Mere, commander of the Estonian Security Police (Sicherheitspolizei), was tried in absentia. Before the trial he was an active member of the Estonian community in England, contributing to Estonian language publications. At the time of the trial he was however held in captivity, accused of murder. He was never deported and died a free man in England in 1969.
Jaan Viik, (Jan Wijk) was singled out for prosecution out of the hundreds of Estonian police for his particular brutality. He was testified as throwing small children into the air and shooting them. He did not deny the charge.
A fourth accused, camp commandant, Alexander Laak was discovered in Canada but committed suicide in his garage.

The executions

The Jews from Theresienstadt and Berlin arrived at the railway station at Raasiku after a five day trip. According to testimony by one of the accussed, Gerretts, eight busloads of Estonian auxiliary police had arrived from Tallinn. A selection process was supervised by Ain Mere, chief of Estonian police; able bodied men were sent to work on the oil shale mines at Kalevi-Liiva. Women, children, and old people were sent by bus to an execution site near the camp. Later the police would execute the Jews by machine gun fire. On the first day a total of 900 people were murdered in this way. Gerrets told that he had fired a pistol at a victim who was still making noises in the pile of bodies. ^[1]

The whole operation was carried out by Estonians. The only German present was Obersturmführer H. Bergmann.

References

De dödsdömda vittnar Template:Sv icon
Estonian policemen stand trial for war crimes - Video footage at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Extermination of the Gypsies in Estonia during World War II: Popular Images and Official Policies
Jägala laager ja juutide hukkamine Kalevi-Liival - Eesti Päevaleht March 30, 2006 Template:Et icon
Omakaitse omakohus - JERUUSALEMMA SÕNUMID Template:Et icon
Kalevi-Liiva on German Wikipedia - English translation

^ In a report of the trials the New York Times belittled the confession and the Estonian role in the Holocaust: ”Estonian admits Death Camp Role”. “Tells Soviet Court He Shot “Once” During Murder of 125 000 by Nazis” - New York Times 7.3.1961

External links

The Holocaust and the concentration camps in Estonia Template:De icon English translation
List of documents presented as evidence - Originally at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

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[1] In a report of the trials the New York Times belittled the confession and the Estonian role in the Holocaust: ”Estonian admits Death Camp Role”. “Tells Soviet Court He Shot “Once” During Murder of 125 000 by Nazis” - New York Times 7.3.1961

[1]

Revision as of 06:21, 10 June 2007 edit Petri Krohn (talk \| contribs) Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users 37,054 edits →‎The accused: active member of the Estonian community ← Previous edit		Revision as of 06:36, 10 June 2007 edit undo Klamber (talk \| contribs) 239 edits without no prejudice, it is important to note that it was a Soviet show trial Next edit →
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	'''Trials''' were held in '''Estonia''' in '''1961''' for '''war criminals''' collaborating in the execution of the [[Holocaust]] in [[Estonia]]. The accused were charged with murdering up to 5000 German Jews near the [[Kalevi-Liiva]] concentration camp in 1942. The public trials were held in the [[Estonia Theatre]] and were followed by a mass ~~audiance~~.		'''Trials''' were held by Soviet authorities in Soviet-occupied '''Estonia''' in '''1961''' for '''war criminals''' collaborating in the execution of the [[Holocaust]] in [[Estonia]]. The accused were charged with murdering up to 5000 German Jews near the [[Kalevi-Liiva]] concentration camp in 1942. The public show trials were held in the [[Estonia Theatre]] and were followed by a mass audience.
	All three defendants were convicted to death, two of them were executed shortly after.		All three defendants were convicted to death, two of them were executed shortly after.