Arnold Meri
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Arnold Meri (1919 - 28 March 2009) was an Estonian veteran of World War II and Hero of the Soviet Union[1] who was charged with crimes against humanity.[2] He is the cousin of former President of Estonia, Lennart Meri. At the time of his death, he was the chairman of the Estonian Anti-Fascist Committee.[3]
Meri voluntarily joined the Red Army in 1940 while the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was still in force. After Nazi Germany attacked in June 1941, he was wounded in battle while serving as a platoon commander in north-west Russia in 1941. In August 1941 he was awarded a Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union for organizing the defense of the headquarters of the Estonian Territorial Corps when the German army broke through the lines near Dno in July 1941. In reality the defense was commanded by captain Georg Loog,[4] but he was not deemed to be suitable for the decoration, as he was not a member of the Communist Party and had been an officer of the Estonian Army.[5] Meri was specifically commended for remaining on the battlefield despite being wounded four times.[citation needed] Meri retired from the Red Army as a colonel. The building that housed the headquarters of the 22nd Estonian Rifle Corps in July of 1941 is currently occupied by a secondary school. In 2008 the school was renamed in honour of Arnold Meri.[citation needed]
From 1945 to 1949 he served as the secretary of the central committee of Komsomol in Estonia. In 1948 he was awarded the highest Soviet order, the Order of Lenin.
Meri's opinion on the Estonian part in World War II:
Estonia's participation in World War II was inevitable and only a fool could have believed otherwise. ... Every Estonian had only one decision to make: whose side to take in that bloody fight—the Nazis' or the anti-Hitler coalition's.[6]
Charge of Genocide
In 2003, the Estonia Security Police investigated Meri for participating in the deportations of Estonians in Hiiumaa in 1949.[5][7] In August 2007, Estonian Western Circuit Prosecutor’s Office formally charged Arnold Meri with genocide, for allegedly organising the deportation of 251 Estonian civilians from the island of Hiiumaa to the Novosibirsk region of Siberia.[8] According to the Prosecutor’s Office, most of the deportees were women and children, and 43 subsequently died.[8] Meri had acknowledged taking part in the deportations, but denied responsibility.[2]
On 20 May 2008 the trial against Meri began. Meri plead not guilty.[9] In his defense, Meri maintained that he was appointed to monitor the compliance of the process with then-current laws and to ensure that the punitive actions were limited to the individuals specifically listed by security services. Meri claimed that he was unable to control the abuses of the local authorities and withdrew from the process. For this decision he himself was prosecuted, stripped of his military honors and expelled from the Communist Party in 1949. Meri maintained that he was targeted by the current Estonian authorities in retaliation for his anti-fascist activities and harsh critique of the Estonian government.[citation needed]
Death
Arnold Meri died in his sleep Saturday, March 28, at the age of 89[10]. This will automatically halt Meri's trial.
Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev awarded Meri posthumously with Order Of Honour.[11]
References
- ^ Связисты Герои Советского Союза Template:Ru icon
- ^ a b Estonian accused of genocide
- ^ Red Army veteran facing genocide charge
- ^ Leonid Lentsman, Endel Sõgel, ed. (1971). Eesti rahvas Nõukogude Liidu Suures Isamaasõjas, 1941-1945. 1 (in Estonian). Tallinn: Eesti Raamat.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ a b Võõrad Suled - Eesti Ekspress, November 18, 2003 Template:Et icon
- ^ When giants fought in Estonia - BBC, May 9, 2007
- ^ Entisen presidentin serkkua syytetään neuvostoajan kyydityksistä - Baltic Guide
- ^ a b Cousin of former Estonian president charged with genocide
- ^ Arnold Meri ei tunnistanud end genotsiidis süüdi
- ^ Eesti Postimees 28 March 2009 - Suri Arnold Meri
- ^ Postimees 28 March 200915:45: Medvedev andis Arnold Merile postuumselt ordeni by Uwe Gnadenteich