Lithuania looks set to open KGB files

  • 2006-10-25
  • By Arturas Racas

Grazulis is openly in favor of amendments to the lustration law.

VILNIUS - Parliament has taken yet another step toward opening the government's special archive, where all KGB files are stored, to unlimited public access. During an Oct. 19 meeting, 69 of the 89 legislators present voted in favor of amendments to the Law on Documents and Archives, which would remove current limitations to the access of Soviet secret police files. Nineteen MP's were against the amendments.

The new regulations need one more vote in Parliament to take effect, and most suspect the legislation will pass.
Petras Grazulis, the non-affiliated MP who initiated the amendment, believes that Parliament has already given the green light.
"The last vote demonstrated that the majority of parliamentarians support opening the archives. I believe that their attitude will not change and the law will be approved," Grazulis told The Baltic Times.
However, he added that there may be attempts to delay the final vote.
"Some parliamentarians are against the law and may try to postpone its entry into force. But I shall put all my effort to avoid this," Grazulis said.

He also stressed that some restrictions, which are to remain in the legislation, were redundant.
"Parliament supported a proposal to limit access to the files, if the KGB victims mentioned are against it. In my opinion, this is not needed, as KGB victims could become KGB collaborators later on. The files of those who confessed their collaboration will also remain classified, as the state earlier promised," Grazulis said, noting that he supported the full opening of archives without limitation.
"Latvians made a better decision 's they chose to publicize the name of all KGB agents and collaborators. The full list includes some 4,500 people. We should have done the same," he added.

Last June, Latvia's parliament voted to allow the names and pseudonyms of alleged ex-KGB agents to be published in the official state newspaper, Latvijas Vestnesis. The list was due to be released on Nov. 1, 2006 but Parliament's legal affairs committee recently announced that publication would be delayed until March 2007, at the request of security institutions. They argued that more time was needed to prepare the archives before being made public.
Dalia Kuodyte, head of Lithuania's Lustration Commission questioned Latvia's decision to reveal all the names of ex-KGB agents.
In an interview with The Baltic Times (See Q&A Page 14) she noted that the list of names did not reveal the truth.

"These are people with completely different histories and destinies and everyone must be looked at separately," Kuodyte said.
She also called for another term of confession before opening the archives, saying that the state should give people one more chance to reconcile with their past.
The law providing for an extended confession term, which ended 18 months ago, was also tabled for consideration by Parliament. It has since been delayed.

Grazulis said the law should not be adopted.
"There was already a time to confess, and those who wanted to did so. I would support an extension only if sanctions, including criminal punishment, were introduced for those who refused to speak," Grazulis said.
The issue of how KGB reserve officers should be treated, and whether their status should fall on par with KGB agents is currently a very sensitive issue.

Last year, the Lithuanian media reported that State Security Department head Arvydas Pocius and MP Antanas Valionis, who served as foreign minister at the time, were included in the list of KGB reserve officers. A special parliamentary commission subsequently cleared them of the charges.
If the new lustration law is adopted by Parliament, the government could kick Pocius out of his job and bury Valionis' hopes of becoming an ambassador.

Grazulis, for one, welcomes attempts to add former KGB reserve officers to the employment prohibition list.
"We should have done that earlier. But better late than never, although it's still not clear whether Parliament will support the offer," the MP said.