The fifth session of the Estonian International Commission of Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity took place on October 18, 2000 in Tallinn. Chairman of the Commission Minister Max Jakobson and members Nicholas Lane, Uffe Ellemann-Jensen and Baron Wolfgang von Stetten participated in the session. There was work meeting and President of the Republic of Estonia Lennart Meri offered a dinner in honour of the Commission members.

Commission members analysed the materials prepared by the investigation group of the Commission about the crimes against humanity committed in Estonia during German occupation. The composition of the final conclusions to be made on the basis of the materials prepared by the investigation group and the principles for preparation of the final conclusions were agreed in at the session.

The next session of the commission will take place in the second half of 2001. A summary of the investigation of the period of German occupation will be made at this session. Results of the Commission about crimes against humanity committed in Estonia during German occupation will be made public after the January 2000 session. Thereafter the Commission will start to investigate the crimes against humanity committed during Soviet occupation in 1940-1941.

Preparation of the interim report about crimes against humanity committed during German occupation that was initially planned for this autumn was postponed until the beginning of 2001, because the amount of existing archive materials was larger than expected. In addition to the documents kept in the central archives and county archives of the Estonian National Archive, the investigation group of the Commission has also examined documents kept in the German Federal Archive and in the Swedish National Archive and also in Latvian archives.

President Lennart Meri called the Estonian International Commission of Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity together in October 1998. The objective of the Commission is unbiased investigation of the crimes against humanity committed against citizens of Estonia or in Estonia during occupations.


Press Service of the Office of the President of the Republic
Kadriorg, October 18, 2000

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