Lithuania Recalls Ambassador to Austria Over KGB Officer
Lithuania recalled its ambassador to Austria after the Alpine country released a former KGB officer and a suspect in killings in Lithuania during the 1991 independence uprising.
Lithuania also sent a note of complaint, asking for “convincing explanations” from Austria for releasing Mikhail Golovatov, a suspect in crimes against humanity, the Vilnius- based Foreign Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today.
Golovatov, a Russia citizen, was released less than 24 hours after detention in Vienna on July 14 on a European warrant issued by Lithuania. The Baltic nation is seeking to try him for civilian shootings that occurred shortly after it declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
The Austrian decision is “a gross violation of both international and European Union law,” Parliamentary Speaker Irena Degutiene said in a separate statement today. She rejected Austria’s explanation of events that the Lithuanian warrant was unclear and lacked information.
Some 50 protesters gathered by the Austrian embassy in Vilnius today, chanting and holding banners such as “Shame on You Austria” and “Why?”.
Golovatov was the leader of a special Soviet unit that stormed a TV tower in Vilnius during anti-Soviet demonstrations. Fourteen civilians died and over a thousand were injured in the attack on the TV tower on Jan. 13, 1991.
To contact the reporter on this story: Milda Seputyte in Vilnius at mseputyte@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net
Rate this Page