In an informative and thoughtful article, “Estonians ask: “who's a fascist? (III)”, (“Estonian Life” Nov. 26, 2004) Laas Leivat refers to the conclusion of the International Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against Humanity that the 36th Estonian Police Battalion “participated on August 7, 1942, in the gathering together and shooting of Jews in the town of Novogrudok in Belarus.”
I think it worth noting that this conclusion, included in a lengthy report on the three occupations of Estonia — starting in 1940 — issued in 2002 by the above-mentioned body (commissioned by President Meri in 1998), was subsequently contradicted by the findings of the Estonian Security Police, whose Director Jüri Pihl declared on July 22, 2002, in answer to a request by Efraim Zuroff of the Wiesenthal Center that the Police investigate a number of members of the Battalion, that there was no evidence that any of the men on Mr. Zuroff's list or any other member of this unit participated in any crimes.
One may note that the Commission's conclusion in this matter was based essentially on “records of post-war Soviet era trials.” The lack of credibility of such “evidence” is, I think, obvious, at least to Estonians.
(The Commission's report is available on the Internet at
www.historycommission.ee as is the controversy surrounding the allegation in question — the latter under the heading “36th Estonian Police Battalion.”)
