After being on the wanted list for almost two years for trying to blow up the Victory Monument in suburban Riga, seen by some as a symbol of Russian occupation, Juris Recs, 38, was arrested in the Latvian Madona district May 6. Recs, who is believed to be the mastermind behind several attempts, spent most of his time hiding in the forest.
Prosecutor Georgs Skudra said Recs was involved in the attempt to blow up the monument in December 1996, just a few days before Christmas.
Recs was charged May 8 on the destruction of third party property in a way threatening to public safety; illegal possession and carrying of explosives; physical assault on a person acting in his official capacity; open theft and theft of a passport.
"Recs says that the Victory Monument is a symbol of the Russian occupation so when Raups - one of the two who died in the third sabotage came up with the idea of blowing it, he agreed to participate. He doesn't deny that he took part in these actions, still he says that they maybe could have done things differently and without violence," Skudra said.
A trial is ongoing against nine other members of the Perkonkrusts organization. According to charges, the defendants made two attempts to blow up the heating mains in Riga and several times placed explosive devices at the Victory Monument.
Since 1996 there have been three attempts to blow up the monument erected in Riga during Soviet rule to commemorate soldiers fallen in World War II. In the first two attempts, homemade fertilizer bombs were used. In the third attempt, members of Perkonkrusts allegedly changed their minds and went for tolite - a chemical which could be used for making bombs.
Skudra said they had more experience the third time, so they used a lot more explosives.
"The monument is built very strongly with solid metal rods inside. The bomb they used was so strong, nothing but a foot of a person - believed to have belonged to Raups - remained of the two bodies. First we thought it was only one person who died, but blood tests showed it was two. The organizer of this attempt, Raups, was the one who had the contacts to get it. Since he died we can't say how they got it," Skudra said.
During a trial session on May 11, protesters gathered outside the court building with placards, standing up for the defendants and accusing the justice system of injustice.
" We want to let society know about the bad justice system. We are of course not for terrorism. That is why we are standing here with placards and not bombs," Gedars Melngailis said.
Not all of the demonstrators were as peaceful. Some voiced outright anger over the Russian minority still living in Latvia.
"Those countries who sold Latvia after World War II have an obligation to help us. We are still occupied by civil occupants. We are only 1,000,000 Latvians and we can't possibly integrate so many Russians. Every country should take 10,000 to 20,000 of them. We are fighting for our rights in our own country. Other countries have to help us. It is their responsibility," Zaiga Gadrovica said.
"Their feet may be planted here, but their hearts are in Moscow. They have their own traditions and holidays."
One of the loudest protesters voiced strong opinions about the attempts to blow up the monument
"They should have done it properly and blown it all up. They are not terrorists. They are only doing a job the Riga City Council should have done a long time ago. They tried to do something they thought was right. The occupation is not over. There are still 1,000 000 occupiers here. They (Russia) have colonized us," said Felikss Ceksters.
Skudra said the Victory Monument is a cold monument for the soldiers of the Soviet army who "freed" Latvia in the end of World War II.
"It's a historical monument and its meaning should maybe be broadened so it will mean something to more people. We cannot deny our history, just like we shouldn't deny that when the Soviet troops entered Latvia in World War II we were occupied," Skudra said.
Viesturs Bruzis, head of Riga's cultural monuments protection inspection, said there are no plans to take the monument down.
"The Victory Monument will stay where it is. Renovation will cost about 60,000 lats, but I don't know if we will get it," Bruzis said.
The court appearance drew a gathering outside the courthouse where more political viewpoints were expressed.
"OMON - a Russian special military force known as the black berets, wanted to overthrow our government in 1991. They are still free. But Perkonkrusts who wanted to take down the occupants' monument are now political prisoners," Gadrovica said.
Skudra said if they (members of Perkonkrusts) wouldn't have used violence and beaten up people they wouldn't be in court now.
"For example, they beat one person for being too friendly with Russians. They punished people because they thought they were right and others were wrong," the prosecutor said.
Perkonkrusts was first formed in 1932 as a protest group against any violation of Latvians' rights. After dying out, the organization was officially reborn in 1997 with Juris Recs as one of the founders.
"They are a radical, nationalistic, extremist group. They say that Latvians won't exist much longer unless we stand up for ourselves. Recs wrote leaflets saying Perkonkrusts should overthrow the government by force because Latvia is still not independent in their opinion. We are destroying Perkonkrusts now, still it's difficult to say how many members there are, maybe 15 to 18. One person who participated in one attempt to blow up the Victory Monument was not a sworn in member of the organization," said Skudra.
"Recs is the spiritual leader of Perkonkrusts. He has written historical materials and educated the younger members, still those who participated in trying to blow the monument had really no idea why they were doing it."
If Recs had been detained four months earlier, he would have gone on trial with several members of Perkonkrusts soon to be sentenced, Skudra said.
Please enter your username and password.
2024 © The Baltic Times /Cookies Policy
