Estonia to prosecute war criminals

Sep 02, 2008
In cooperation with BNS

TALLINN - The Estonian security police have filed a case against two senior citizens over their role in the 1949 mass deportation of Estonians to Siberia.

The two defendants are accused of genocide and attacks against the civilian population, the Baltic News Service reported.

Vello Paltmann, 79, is a former senior operative commissioner of the Hiiumaa department of the Interior Ministry of the Estonian SSR. Jaan Pahna, 84, is a former operative commissioner in the same department.

The security police had previously identified high-profile Soviet WWII veteran Arnold Meri, 89, and Jaan Pahna as suspects in the Hiiumaa episode of the mass deportations of 1949.

In all, more than 20,000 Estonian civilians were deported as part of the 1949 operation, codenamed "Priboi," including 261 people from Hiiumaa.

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