LETTONIE - RUSSIE, Traités et documents de base

Tallin May 14, 1989 : Appeal to the Congress of People's Deputies on the State's Threat of War Against Its People

Appeal to the Congress of People's Deputies on the State's Threat of War Against Its People

The history of the Soviet Union abounds in instances of abuse of armed forces in the sphere of state and societal relations. It will suffice to mention the mass reprisals in the Soviet Union during the Stalin era, acts of mass deportation, and punitive expeditions of regular Soviet forces to socialist states striving for more democratic socialism (Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1968). The taking of military forces into independent Afghanistan, to say nothing of violation of international law, was also the unjustified destruction of the lives of young people of its own country.

According to the theory of Marxism-Leninism, the development of socialism must lead to withering away of the state. Yet in practice, the reverse process is at hand strengthening of the state and deepening of the cult of the state which results in injuring the rights of citizens and nations. This process was confirmed by the three decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted this year:

"On responsibility for the violation of the established rules of organising and holding meetings, rallies, street processions and demonstrations", "On amendments to the USSR law "On criminal liability for state crimes" and some other acts of the USSR", as well as "On the obligations and rights of the interior forces of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in maintaining public order".

These are anti-democratic and anti-constitutional documents. They create a repressive model of the socialist state, incapable of developing without armoured personnel carriers or chemical weapons.

The events of April 9 in Tbilisi revealed the depth of the precipice of alienation between the civil population and armed forces, and sharply aggravated interethnic relations.

As the existence of interior troops presupposes the existence of an interior enemy, the very fact of there being a special punitive force is incompatible with the process of democratisation.

Proceeding from the above, the Assembly of the PFE, PFL and LRM declares the necessity

1. of disbanding both interior forces and Union-subordinated forces of special designation, and setting up national-territorial army formations,

2. of legally defining the function of the armed forces as exclusively defensive and applicable only in case of external attack,

3. of rescinding the decrees of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet "On responsibility for the violation of the established rules of organising and holding meetings, rallies, street processions and demonstrations", "On amendments to the USSR law "On criminal liability for state crimes" and some other acts of the USSR", as well as "On obligations and rights of the interior forces of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs in maintaining public order", as contradicting the Constitution of the USSR and principles of international law,

4. of legally defining the responsibility of bodies of state power and official persons for taking violent (punitive) measures with respect to participants of peaceful meetings, rallies and demonstrations,

5. of establishing civil authorities' full control over the activities of armed forces, with the aim of preventing the threat emanating from the army to the civil population and institutions.

Tallinn, May l4th, 1989

On behalf of the Council of Representatives of the Popular Front of Estonia
On behalf of the Duma of the Popular Front of Latvia
On behalf of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Reform Movement Sajudis

Source:
Baltic Assembly, Tallin, May 13-14, 1989, Popular Front of Estonia, Valgus Publishers 1989