Crimes committed by the communist regimes from the point of view of international legislation: Lithuanian case study
Crimes committed by the communist regimes from the point of view of international legislation: Lithuanian case study

Author(s): Dainius Žalimas
Subject(s): Criminal Law, International Law, Recent History (1900 till today), History of Communism, EU-Legislation
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Summary/Abstract: I appreciate very much the initiative to organise the conference on the issue concerning the crimes committed by the communist regimes. It is my pleasure to give an introduction to the basic legal aspects of the mentioned issue together with the special presentation of the legal analysis of the Lithuanian case. International crimes such as crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes inevitably have to be dealt within the international legal context. They concern not only national measures to implement the justice but also depend on the efforts put forward by the international community to condemn them publicly and create sufficient international legal basis for the effective persecution. Let me first of all go through the general introduction into the notion of the international crimes and specifically crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide; secondly, I will address historical facts and legal instruments relevant in assessing crimes of the communist regimes; thirdly, I will analyse Lithuanian case as an illustration how the crimes of the occupation communist regime are dealt with in our national legal system; and finally, I will touch briefly the existing EU legislation related with a crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes and highlight the need for equal treatment of these crimes irrespective of their perpetrators (equal treatment of the crimes committed by Nazi and Soviet regimes).

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