LETTONIE - RUSSIE, Traités et documents de base

Tallin May 14, 1989 : To the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, to the Procurator-General of the USSR

To the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, to the Procurator-General of the USSR

On January 31, 1989 the Board of the Popular Front of Estonia, the Duma Board of the Popular Front of Latvia and the Sajudis Seimas Council of Lithuania sent to the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Procurator-General of the USSR an appeal voicing anxiety for the destiny of the arrested members of the Karabakh Committee and requesting to provide full information concerning the problem to the public. The appeal, among other things, said the following:

We are of the opinion that this is an attempt to use for political ends anti-democratic clauses of the Penal Code that contradict the spirit of the policy of restructuring.

We ask:

- firstly, to thoroughly check the legality of keeping the members of the Karabakh Committee under arrest,

- secondly, to immediately inform the public of the causes and legal grounds for putting these persons under arrest, and of the accusations brought against them,

- thirdly, to discontinue the resolution of inter-ethnic tensions by relying on policies of strength, which has never brought desirable results,

- fourthly, to realise in practice the constitutional rights of nations to self-determination,

We are of the opinion that the arrest of the recognised leaders of the Armenian nation is an abuse of power which is aggravating the settlement of problems which are complex as it is. It is inconceivable to meet the forthcoming Plenary Meeting of the CPSU Central Committee on inter-ethnic relations, and to prepare for the international conference on human rights planned to take place in Moscow, burdened by such legacy which is in flagrant violation of the final act of the Vienna Conference.

Dear Chairman, Dear Procurator-General,

More than three months have passed since. No answer of yours has reached the leadership of the Popular Fronts of the Baltic republics as yet, and the destiny of those arrested remains unknown to the public.

Lack of openness, as well as lawlessness which is still a reality, cannot but arouse our concern. No one of those who fight for new political thinking and perestroika can feel secure as long as the precedent of ignorance about the destiny of the leaders of the Karabakh Committee exists.

We appeal to you once again with an urgent suggestion to restore lawfulness and openness in this issue of principle.

Tallinn, May l4th, 1989

On the behalf of the Council of Representatives of the Popular Front of Estonia
On the behalf of the Duma of the Popular Front of Latvia
On the 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