Other events in Baltic States

The Western Circuit Prosecutor’s Office sent to the court the case against Jaan Pähna who is charged of having committed a crime against humanity – deporting 14 families from Hiiumaa to Siberia, writes LETA/EPL Online.

Jaan Pähna worked as an operative for the Hiiumaa department of the National Security Ministry of the Estonian SSR and took part in identifying 46 persons who were to be exiled and resettled in 1949. He collected data and compiled confidential notices on 14 families and 46 persons that were the bases for their exile orders. Pähna himself arrested two persons.

On March 25 of the same year, Pähna as the leader of a group of operatives took part in arresting six persons from their homes in Hiiumaa and transporting them to the Lehtma Port where the deported were to be collected and taken on the next day to the Novosibirsk oblast. Two of the deported persons were younger than 12 years old and one of the women was pregnant. Eight persons sent to Siberia by Pähn died during their deportation.

“Jaan Pähna has not admitted his guilt, but has said that the acts that he is suspected of were illegal. At the same time, he has denied having collected data on the deportees,” said the circuit prosecutor Indrek Kalda.

According to the medical expert, the charged man is essentially bed-ridden and due to his health is unable to take part in the trial and spend time in incarceration. “At the same time, the prosecutor’s office has no lawful basis for terminating the proceedings against Pähna and the case has to be sent to court,” explained the prosecutor.

The criminal case will be processed by the Pärnu County Court.