Bronze Night - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Bronze Night also known as the April Unrest () and April Events () refer to the controversy and riots in Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

surrounding the 2007 relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn

Bronze Soldier of Tallinn

The Bronze Soldier is the informal name of a controversial Soviet World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, built at the site of several war graves, which were relocated to the nearby Tallinn Military Cemetery in 2007...

, the Soviet World War II memorial in Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

.

Many ethnic Estonians

Estonians

Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns and inhabiting, primarily, the country of Estonia. They speak a Finnic language known as Estonian...

considered the Bronze Soldier in the city centre a symbol of Soviet occupation and repression. At the same time the monument has significant symbolic value to Estonia's Russian community, symbolising not only Soviet victory over Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

in the Great Patriotic War, but also their claim to equal rights in Estonia.

Amid political controversy, in April 2007 the Government of Estonia

Politics of Estonia

Politics in Estonia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Estonia is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in the Estonian parliament. Executive power is exercised by the Government...

started final preparations for the reburial of the remains and relocation of the statue, according to the political mandate

Mandate (politics)

In politics, a mandate is the authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.The concept of a government having a legitimate mandate to govern via the fair winning of a democratic election is a central idea of democracy...

received from the last elections (held in March 2007). Disagreement over the appropriateness of the action led to mass protests and riot

Riot

A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...

s (accompanied by looting

Looting

Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...

), lasting for two nights, the worst in Estonia since the Soviet reoccupation in 1944. During the riots, one Russian rioter was killed. In the early morning hours of April 27, 2007, after the first night's rioting, the Government of Estonia decided, at an emergency meeting, to relocate the monument immediately, referring to security concerns. By the following afternoon the stone structure had been dismantled as well. As of the afternoon of April 30, the statue without the stone structure had been placed at the Cemetery

Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn

The Defence Forces Cemetery of Tallinn , sometimes called the Tallinn Military Cemetery, is one of the three cemeteries of the Tallinn City Centre Cemetery . It is situated about 3 kilometres outside the centre of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia...

of the Estonian Defence Forces in Tallinn. An opening ceremony for the relocated statue was held on May 8, VE Day

Victory in Europe Day

Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...

. (Soviet Army

Soviet Army

The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...

veterans celebrate Victory Day a day later, on May 9.) During June 2007 the stone structure was rebuilt. Relatives have made claims to bodies of four of the war dead. Unclaimed remains were reburied at the military cemetery, next to the relocated monument, on July 3, 2007.

Historical background

On July 3, 1933 aggression was defined in a binding treaty signed at the Soviet Embassy in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

by USSR and The Republic of Estonia. Forms of aggression were defined -A naval blockade of coasts or ports of another State; Invasion by armed forces of the territory of another State even without a declaration of war. On September 24, 1939, warships of the Red Navy appeared off Estonian ports and Soviet bombers began to patrol over Tallinn

Tallinn

and the nearby countryside. On June 12, 1940, the order for a total military blockade on Estonia was given to the Soviet Baltic Fleet

Baltic Fleet

The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...

. On June 16, 1940, the Soviet Union invaded Estonia. After the German occupation of 1941–1944, Soviet forces reconquered Estonia in the autumn of 1944 and Estonia remained a part of USSR until 1991. The Soviet authorities, having gained control over Estonia, immediately imposed a regime of terror.
Cemeteries that were destroyed by the authorities during the Soviet era in Estonia include Baltic German

Baltic German

The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...

cemeteries established in 1774 Kopli cemetery

Kopli cemetery

Kopli cemetery was Estonia's largest Lutheran Baltic German cemetery, located in the suburb of Kopli in Tallinn. It contained thousands of graves of prominent citizens of Tallinn and stood for over 170 years from 1774 to shortly after World War II when it was completely flattened and destroyed by...

, Mõigu cemetery

Mõigu cemetery

The Mõigu cemetery ) was a large Baltic German cemetery, located in the Tallinn suburb of Mõigu in Estonia. It served as the primary burial ground for the usually wealthy and noble citizens of the Toompea parish of Tallinn...

and the oldest cemetery in Tallinn, from 16th century, Kalamaja cemetery

Kalamaja cemetery

The Kalamaja cemetery in Tallinn in Estonia was once the city's oldest existing cemetery, located in the suburb of Kalamaja in the north of the city...

.
At the Tallinn Military Cemetery (where the Bronze Soldier was relocated in 2007) the graves of 240 Estonian soldiers from the Estonian War of Independence became reused by Red Army. The monument for Estonia's independence was destroyed by the Soviet authorities. Only the graves of 2 Estonian generals and 15 British servicemen from the era were saved by making the ground a maintenance area.

Interpretation of history

During perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...

, the reassessment era of Soviet history in USSR, in 1989 the USSR condemned the 1939 secret protocol

Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...

between Nazi Germany and itself that had led to the invasion and occupation of the three Baltic countries. The collapse of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

led to the restoration Republic of Estonia

Estonia

's sovereignty

Sovereignty

Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...

(See History of Estonia: Regaining independence.) The mass deportations of ethnic Estonians during the Soviet era together with migration into Estonia from other parts of the Soviet Union resulted in the share of ethnic Estonians in the country decreasing from 88% in 1934 to 62% in 1989.(See Demographics of Estonia
Demographics of Estonia
The demographics of Estonia in the twenty-first century are the result of historical trends over more than a thousand years, just as for most European countries, but have been disproportionately affected by events in the last half of the twentieth century...

.)

According to the Government of Estonia, the European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...

, the EU, and the USA, Estonia remained occupied by the Soviet Union until restoration of its independence in 1991 and the 48 years of Soviet occupation and annexation was never recognized as legal by the Western democracies.

According to the European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

, the lawful government of Estonia in 1940 was overthrown and Soviet rule was imposed by force. The totalitarian communist regime of the Soviet Union conducted large-scale and systematic actions against the Estonian population. Elections were organized in which only Soviet-supported candidates were permitted to run. As reported by Time Magazine In 1940: "Those who had failed to have their passports stamped for voting Estonia into the USSR were allowed to be shot in the back of the head by Soviet tribunals."

The view that Estonia's annexation into USSR was legitimate is advanced by the official statements of the Russian Federation

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, which claim that the USSR presence in the Baltics was legal according to international law

International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...

and that the Baltics could not be occupied because there was no declaration of war

Declaration of war

A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...

.

Some commentators fear that Russia's insistence on pro-Soviet historical interpretations may signal an attempt to reclaim control over the "near abroad

Near abroad

In political language of Russia and some other post-Soviet states, the near abroad refers to the newly independent republics which emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and sometimes other nearby countries such as Finland and Mongolia....

".

Integration efforts in everyday life of Estonia have mainly revolved around two issues: citizenship

Citizenship

Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...

and language

Language

Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...

. Some Russian associations, media,religious leaders and officials, as well as Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

accuse Estonia of human rights violations.

Further background

Confrontation

After the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991, a public controversy surrounded the memorial that grew into a direct confrontation about 2006–2007. The eternal flame

Eternal flame

An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns day and night for an indefinite period. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple"....

was put down shortly after the Estonian redeclaration of independence. In 1994 the memorial underwent a reconstruction. Following the reopening the bronze headstones on the stone background and the protective barrier surrounding the memorial were removed.

World War II Red Army veterans and representatives of the Russian-speaking population in Estonia have continued to gather at the monument on certain dates, celebrating May 9 (Victory Day

Victory Day (Eastern Europe)

Victory Day or 9 May marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War...

) and September 22 ("Liberation of Tallinn" in 1944). The display of Soviet flags and other Soviet symbols at these gatherings had offended many Estonians.

A non-violent confrontation at the monument site took place on May 9, 2006, when a group of Estonians headed by Jüri Böhm approached the celebrating Red Army veterans. To preserve public order and out of security concerns, the police helped Böhm and his accompanying group to leave the area, along with their Estonian flag

Flag of Estonia

The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue , black, and white. The normal size is 105 × 165 cm...

, and let the veterans' meeting with the Soviet symbols continue. On the next day, Estonian nationalist Jüri Liim said he would blow up the monument unless the authorities removed it promptly. In the same month, the tensions rose again and the police kept a 24-hour patrol in place, cordoning off the area until early September 2006.

Estonian journalist Paavo Kangur in an opinion piece suggested that the confrontations were intentionally provoked to increase the support of Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica

Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica

Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica is an Estonian Liberal Conservative political party. It was founded on 4 June 2006 when two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res Publica merged. Up to the 2007 parliamentary elections, the party held 32 seats out of 101 in the Riigikogu and one of...

and "Estonian Nazi sympathizers" having being manipulated by Russian FSB service.

A small group of Estonian Russophone

Russophone

A Russophone is literally a speaker of the Russian language either natively or by preference. At the same time the term is used in a more specialized meaning to describe the category of people whose cultural background is associated with Russian language regardless of ethnic and territorial...

s set up an organization in mid-2006 called Nochnoy Dozor (Night Watch), calling for nightly vigils to guard the monument from possible removal attempts.

On April 24, 2007, in explaining the necessity for thorough investigation of the burials, Estonian PM Andrus Ansip related a number of urban legends (grave holds remains of executed looters or drunk Red Army soldiers run over by Red Army tank). The Russian press sensationalized Ansip's comments in their headlines, presenting Ansip as disparaging Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

veterans.

War Graves Protection Act

On January 10, 2007, Riigikogu

Riigikogu

The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...

passed the War Graves Protection Act, with 66 votes in favour and 6 against, initiated by the Estonian Reform Party

Estonian Reform Party

The Estonian Reform Party is a centre-right, free market liberal party in Estonia. It is led by Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, and has 33 members in the 101-member Riigikogu, making it the largest party in the legislature...

, Social Democratic Party, Res Publica Party and Isamaaliit Party. The preamble of the Act states:

"In observance and acknowledgement of the obligation of the Republic of Estonia to guarantee the protection, respect and dignified treatment of the remains of persons who have died in acts of war conducted on the territory of Estonia; finding that the burying of persons who have died in acts of war to unsuitable places is in discord with European culture and the tradition of honouring the memory and remains of the deceased; on the basis of Article 34 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions

Geneva Conventions

The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...

of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1) adopted on 8 June 1977, according to which the Estonian state is obliged to guarantee the respect of the remains and gravesites of persons who have died due to acts of war in the territory of Estonia, and the marking thereof, and in pursuance of which the Estonian state is entitled to rebury the remains on the basis of the public interest, the Riigikogu passes this Act."

The Act came into force on January 20, 2007.

Estonia has mutual war grave

War grave

A war grave is a burial place for soldiers or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. The term does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to be war graves, as are military aircraft that crash into water...

protection treaties with Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

but not with Russia, giving special status to many war graves in Estonia but not the one on Tõnismägi. The War Graves Protection Act's major result was to codify the international customs and practices regarding the handling of war graves (see above) into country-unspecific terms, and to extend unilateral protection to war graves not covered by mutual international protection treaties. Most 20th century battles on Estonian soil having been fought by Soviet (largely ethnically-Russian), German, Estonian armies and a formation of the Finnish volunteers under Estonian command, almost all war graves in Estonia not covered by mutual treaties or earlier domestic laws are those of the Red Army

Red Army

.

Another effect of the law was that it placed all war graves under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Ministry of Defence. Tõnismägi being city land, municipal cooperation would have been necessary for exhumation and/or monument removal without such legislation. As non-citizen residents can vote in Estonian municipal elections and were largely in support of retaining the statue, the City Council of Tallinn has a large Russian representation and any approval was unlikely in the foreseeable future. The law eliminated the need to negotiate with the municipal government for war grave related business—specifically, exhumation of the buried bodies and, if the corpses would be found, relocation of the monument which would then be considered a grave marker.

Proposed Law on Forbidden Structures

On February 15, 2007, Riigikogu approved the Law on Forbidden Structures by 46 votes to 44. This would have banned the public display of monuments that glorify the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

or Estonia's fifty years of Bolshevism. The monument itself was specifically mentioned, to be relocated within 30 days of the President signing this into law. However, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves

Toomas Hendrik Ilves

Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth and current President of Estonia. He is a former diplomat and journalist, was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s and later a member of the European Parliament...

vetoed the law, arguing that it did not comply with the constitution of Estonia

Constitution of Estonia

The Constitution of Estonia is the fundamental law of the Republic of Estonia and establishes the state order as that of a democratic republic where the supreme power is vested in its citizens. It was adopted in a freely elected Estonian Constituent Assembly on 15 June 1920 and came into force on...

(the only legal basis for a presidential veto under Estonian constitution). A veto override was never attempted and this bill did not become law.

Public perception

The idea of relocation was controversial among inhabitants of Estonia. According to an opinion poll

Opinion poll

An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...

ordered by Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Päevaleht is a major daily Estonian newspaper, from the same publishers as the weekly Eesti Ekspress. It has a daily circulation of around 36,000....

and performed by Turu-uuringute AS from 5 April through 22 April 2007 37% of respondents supported relocation of the monument, while 49% were against relocation and 14% had not formed any opinion on the subject. Relocation of the monument had slightly stronger support from native Estonian speakers—49% in favour of relocation—while only 9% of native Russian speakers supported relocation.

According to a non-scientific poll by the daily newspaper Postimees
Postimees
Postimees is an Estonian daily newspaper. It was established in 1 January 1857 by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and became Estonia's first daily newspaper in 1891....

on 25 April, when preparations for relocation had already begun, 85.12% of online readers taking part in the poll voiced their support for the relocation, 12.98% opposed it and the remaining were uncertain.

According to the article in Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Päevaleht

Eesti Päevaleht is a major daily Estonian newspaper, from the same publishers as the weekly Eesti Ekspress. It has a daily circulation of around 36,000....

, in Russia special services encouraged media to discuss the Bronze Soldier often and in a particularly emotional way, as a way of influencing political opinion. Among other activities, this translated into opposing and denouncing of high-level Russian politicians who supported civilised relocation of the Bronze Soldier.

Events surrounding relocation

Estonian Police cordoned off the square and nearby streets in the early morning of April 26, 2007, in preparation for archaeological excavations in search of the remains and, if found, their relocation.

A tent structure was erected to shield the excavations from weather and from public view. Three members of the protest organization "Night Watch" (also sometimes translated as Night Vigil) who were monitoring the situation declined to leave the area and locked themselves in their car. The police had to break a side window of the car to extract them forcibly, causing slight shard wounds to one. Having been removed, Night Watch spread rumours that the monument removal procedure had started. After a few hours, around 1,000 people, mostly Russian-speaking, had surrounded the police cordon and some from the group attempted to break through it. Several meetings in protest of the removal were held. Around dusk, the mob turned more and more violent, starting to throw stones and empty bottles at the police. By around 21:15, the mob activity turned to what the police considered the first night's riot.

In the early morning of April 27, 2007, the Estonian government held an emergency meeting and at 3:40 a.m. local time, decided, upon advice from the Estonian Security Council, to relocate the monument immediately (as "the ground for violent acts"). Three hours later, by 6:40 a.m., the monument had been moved to an undisclosed provisional location.

The government stated that the statue would be re-erected as soon as possible in a military cemetery maintained by the Estonian Defence Forces.
As of the afternoon of April 30 the statue without the stone structure had been re-erected. Reassembling the stone structure was delayed out of concerns over the æsthetic qualities of the site on reopening, as the stone structure's weight required a new foundation to be constructed out of concrete. This work began on 23 May and was estimated to be completed by the end of June. For the time of the construction work, the statue was temporarily moved to a nearby location on the cemetery.

An ecumenical religious ceremony (prayer for the dead) was held on April 28 before commencing the exhumation, by two chaplains, a Lutheran and an Orthodox. The Russian ambassador, having been invited to monitor the exhumation, or appoint an observer, officially declined the invitation.

Riots and violence

April 26–27

Estonia's authorities report that the violence started around 21:20 (EEST

Eastern European Summer Time

Eastern European Summer Time is one of the names of UTC+3 time zone, 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in some European, North African, and Middle Eastern countries...

, UTC

Coordinated Universal Time

Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...

+3), as the protesters started to assault the policemen. Riot police responded by using water cannon and, according to BBC, firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. However, the crowd did not disperse and started committing acts of vandalism and rampant looting of nearby shops and buildings. By midnight the riots had spread around the centre of Tallinn, with massive damage to property—a total number of 99 cases of vandalism, including cars that had been turned upside down, broken and looted shop windows, pillaged bars and kiosks.

By 2 AM, things had calmed down a little; over 100 people had been arrested. At about half past two (AM), reports came in that mass riots had ended and now the police were only looking for fugitives. The last of the violent protesters were apparently taken away by a large passenger bus.
By morning 300 people had been arrested. 57 people were injured, including 14 police officers. Dmitry Ganin (permanent resident of Estonia who had Russian citizenship) died in a hospital from a stabbing wound. Estonian press alleged that wounds were likely inflicted by a vandal. As per September 2007, 13 mostly Estonian-speaking persons had been arrested by Estonian police on suspicion of beating but not stabbing of Dmitri Ganin; all had been subsequently released pending end of investigation. As of September 4, 2007, no charges had been laid. According to police report, goods stolen from some of the vandalised stores were found in pockets of Mr. Ganin.

Tallinn City Council suspended all strong alcohol retail licenses inside the city borders for a week. There were concerns, mostly in foreign media, that the protest may escalate into an ethnic conflict between Estonians and members of ethnic Russian minority.

April 27

The night of April 27 saw a recurrence in violence, with a second night of rioting. Rioters used Molotov cocktail

Molotov cocktail

The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...

s while police responded with CS gas

CS gas

2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile is the defining component of a "tear gas" commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent...

, rubber bullet

Rubber bullet

Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles that can be fired from either standard firearms or dedicated riot guns. They are intended to be a non-lethal alternative to metal projectiles...

s and watercannons. Rioting and looting in a few towns of North East Estonia (mainly Jõhvi

Jõhvi

Jõhvi is a town in north-eastern Estonia, and the capital of Ida-Viru County. The town is also an administrative centre of Jõhvi Parish. It is situated 50 km from the Russian border....

) with a Russian majority, were also reported. Estonian sources attributed the disruptions to youths consuming stolen alcohol. In all, some 1,000 people were detained in two nights of rioting. 156 were injured, including some two dozen police officers, and numerous stores, offices and homes were damaged. As there had been too many arrests for the normal pre-trial detention centers, many suspects were taken to a hastily set up holding area in the Terminal D of the Tallinn Seaport.

April 28–29

Calm was restored throughout the day and night of April 28 without further major incidents, but police launched a campaign to take on "police assistance" volunteers, and by Sunday evening more than 700 persons had signed up and started training.

On April 28 a declaration by a self-named Army of Russian Resistance Kolyvan
Kolyvan
Kolyvan may refer to:*Kolyvan, Novosibirsk Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia*Kolyvan, Altai Krai, a village in Altai Krai, Russia*Kolyvan, an ancient Russian name of today's Tallinn....

started circulating in Russian language Internet forums. The declaration called for "all Russian men living in Estonia" to take up arms. It demanded that Estonian citizenship be granted to all Estonian residents by May 3, threatening to start an armed resistance

Resistance movement

A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...

on May 9. At this time, it is not clear whether this group is the one described by the KavkazCenter report (see above) or is a copycat

Copycat crimes

A copycat crime is a criminal act that is modelled or inspired by a previous crime that has been reported in the media or described in fiction.-Copycat effect:...

inspired by it.

April 30

No major incidents were reported, but some vehicle drivers tried to block the traffic

Traffic

Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...

in the center of Tallinn

Tallinn

by intentionally driving at a slow speed and excessively using car horn.

The Union of the Peoples of Estonia (Eestimaa Rahvuste Ühendus, an association of minority ethnicities living in Estonia) published a declaration that day, condemning vandalism

Vandalism

Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...

and maraudery.

A Russian State Duma

State Duma

The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...

delegation led by the former FSB Director Nikolay Kovalyov also arrived in Estonia, in what was described as a "fact-finding mission". While still in Russia, the chairman of the delegation had already made a declaration, asking Estonia's government (led by Andrus Ansip

Andrus Ansip

Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:...

) to step down

Resignation

A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...

. Sven Mikser, leader of the of foreign affairs' commission of the Riigikogu
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. All important state-related questions pass through the Riigikogu...

, who was one of the Estonian politicians to meet the Russian delegation, expressed his regret that the Russians had come with prejudices and had intervened in Estonia's internal affairs (e.g. by calling for Estonia's government to resign). Later in the day, the reappearance of the bronze soldier threw the Duma's fact finding mission off-course, with delegation leader Kovalyov saying that he had not been invited by the Estonian authorities to the ceremony at the military cemetery.

There were some voices that called for cabinet resignation among the Estonian public as well. The most aggressive criticism was made by members of the Center Party

Estonian Centre Party

The Estonian Centre Party is a centrist, social liberal party in Estonia. Keskerakond is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. It has the largest membership of an Estonian party, with over 12 000 members....

, who had been left out of the coalition talks during the then-recent elections.

May 1

The Russian State Duma delegation visited the new location of the statue, placed flowers and a wreath

Wreath

A wreath is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs and/or various materials that is constructed to resemble a ring. They are used typically as Christmas decorations to symbolize the coming of Christ, also known as the Advent season in Christianity. They are also used as festive headdresses...

(a common symbol of remembrance of the dead in both Estonian and Northern Russian cultures) in front of the bronze soldier. The delegation members also closely examined the figure and claimed that it had been cut in pieces and reassembled. The Ministry of Defence denied those claims. "The lines on the statue are because of bronze casting

Casting

In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...

technology and from the time the statue was created," said the press representative of Estonian Ministry of Defence. Those kind of statues are made in several pieces and later assembled in one.

Estonia's Foreign Minister Urmas Paet

Urmas Paet

Urmas Paet is an Estonian politician who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia since 2005. He is a member of the Estonian Reform Party. As of September 2010, Paet has been the longest serving minister since the re-establishment of Estonian independence.-Biography:Paet was born in Tallinn...

said that the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

has promised to help end a siege at the Estonian embassy in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. Paet had spoken to his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Frank-Walter Steinmeier is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany , and currently the leader of the opposition in the Bundestag. Steinmeier was a close aide of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, serving as Chief of Staff in the German Chancellery from 1999 to 2005...

who "promised speedy assistance from the European Union to normalise the situation around the Estonian embassy in Moscow." Germany

Germany

then held the rotating presidency of the EU.

The two-day visit by the Russian fact finding delegation was originally set up to defuse a diplomatic dispute over the Bronze Soldier statue, but it only appeared to have escalated the feud. After the initial developments during the delegation's visit, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet cancelled a meeting with the delegation, issuing a statement saying: "I will not meet with a delegation that spreads only lies regarding events in Estonia and whose objective is not the accurate portrayal of the situation, but rather election campaigning".

Epilogue

Tõnismägi

Tõnismägi is a 36 meter high hillock adjacent to Toompea hill in Tallinn, Estonia. From 1945 to 1996 the central portion of the hillock was called Liberators' Square...

hill (the former site of the monument and of the now-empty burial site) being city property, the government's position is that it is the responsibility of Tallinn municipal government to decide what to do next with it. On May 9, it was reported that, as agreed with the City Park Office, the Ministry of Defence was planting an enormous flower garden on the site, as a part of the post-exhumation restoration work mandated by the War Graves Act. On June 8, 2007, the Ministry of Defence announced a plan to replace the flowerbed with a permanent park complete with small trees.

Bodies transferred to the relatives

On June 14, 2007, successfully identified remains of captain Bryantsev were handed over to his relatives for reburial in Rostov oblast

Rostov Oblast

Rostov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Southern Federal District. Rostov Oblast has an area of and a population of making it the sixth most populous federal subject in Russia...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. This was the first of the twelve exhumed bodies to be returned to relatives.

As of July 3, 2007, three remains had been released to their relatives. Claims regarding a fourth, Master Sergeant

Master Sergeant

A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF...

Stepan Hapikalo, are pending arrival of his relatives, currently living in Ukraine, to Estonia for DNA

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

analysis. The eight bodies so far unclaimed were reburied next to the new location of the monument on that day.

On July 4, 2007, remains of Yelena Varshavskaya were reburied at the Mount of Olives

Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...

in Jerusalem in the world's oldest Jewish cemetery. The reburial was conducted by Russia's Chief Rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

Berel Lazar

Rabbi Shlomo Dovber Pinchas Lazar, better known as Berel Lazar, is an Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He is presently Chief Rabbi of Russia, and chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities...

Reburial of unclaimed bodies

Eight of the exhumed remains—those unclaimed so far—were reburied at the military cemetery, next to the relocated monument, on July 3, 2007, in presence of the Estonian minister of defence, other officials, and dozens of diplomats, as well as various press representatives. A military attaché

Military attaché

A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...

of the Russian embassy, Aleksandr Trojan, was reported as observing the event from the crowd. The Russian ambassador to Estonia, Nikolay Uspensky, declined invitation to attend, as an expression of Russia's highest-level disapproval of "demounting the monument, the exhumation, and the accompanying attempts to revise history to suit political conjuncture

Conjuncture

In general, a conjuncture is a period marked by some watershed event which separates different epochs.In economics, conjuncture is a critical combination of events....

". However, he attended a religious memorial service for the fallen, held by the head of the Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate

Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate

The Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate is a semi-autonomous diocese of the Patriarchate of Moscow whose primate is appointed by the Holy Synod of the latter. Its official name in English is the Estonian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate...

, three hours after the reburial.

Syssoyev's daughters' lawsuit

Ezmiralda Menshikova and Svetlana Gnevasheva, daughters of Ivan Syssoyev, a Red Army partorg who died in Tallinn in 1944, filed suit against the government demanding that the Bronze Soldier be returned to its original location near the National Library as a grave marker. However, both the trial court and the appellate court found that since there is no evidence of Syssoyev having been buried at the site, his daughters lack legal standing to sue in this matter, and therefore rejected the demands. On 20 January 2009, the Supreme Court of Estonia

Supreme Court of Estonia

The Supreme Court of Estonia is the court of last resort in Estonia. It is both a court of cassation and a constitutional court. The courthouse is in Tartu.Chief justices=* Kaarel Parts * Rait Maruste...

denied certiorari

Certiorari

Certiorari is a type of writ seeking judicial review, recognized in U.S., Roman, English, Philippine, and other law. Certiorari is the present passive infinitive of the Latin certiorare...

in the case, leaving standing the lower courts' rulings and finalising dismissal of the lawsuit.

Trial of alleged organisers

D. Linter

Dmitri Linter

Dmitri Linter is an internationalist activist. He is a leader of the Nochnoy Dozor advocacy group that opposed the relocation of the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn memorial.- Biography :...

, D. Klenski, M. Sirok

Mark Sirők

Mark Sirők is a Russian-speaking Estonian political activist. He is designated as a commissar of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi and a leader of the movement in Estonia.His name's original spelling includes ő, a letter unique to Hungarian language...

and M. Reva were accused of organizing the riots. International freedom of expression NGO ARTICLE 19

ARTICLE 19

ARTICLE 19 is a London-based human rights organisation with a specific mandate and focus on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information worldwide...

has called to acquit them.

On 11 December 2008, the trial of men charged with organising of the riots ended; most of the last day was spent on longish last word

Last Word

Last Word is an obituary BBC radio series broadcast weekly on Radio 4. Each week the lives of several famous people who have recently died are summarised with narration, and interviews with people who knew them.-References:*...

s.

On 5 January 2009, the Harju County Court found not guilty (according to Postimees

Postimees

Postimees is an Estonian daily newspaper. It was established in 1 January 1857 by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and became Estonia's first daily newspaper in 1891....

, under principle of in dubio pro reo

In dubio pro reo

The principle of in dubio pro reo means that a defendant may not be convicted by the court when doubts about his or her guilt remain....

, according to LICHR, "concluding that the evidence proved only one fact – that mass riots did take place in the downtown Tallinn on April 26 – 28, 2007") four men accused of organization of riots during Bronze Night riots.

The prosecutor has appealed the decision. The acquittal, however, was upheld.
In 2009, The Estonian government passed the law nicknamed "Bronze Night law", that reinforces the penalties and improves and refines the laws, relating to the distribution of national secrets, actions against the state, actions of promoting against the state and encourage or participate in riots.

Human rights issues concerning arrests and use of force by the police

In November 2007, the UN Committee Against Torture has considered Estonia's report and expressed concern over "allegations of brutality and excessive use of force by law enforcement personnel, especially with regard to the disturbances that occurred in Tallinn in April 2007, well documented by a detailed compilation of complaints". In September, 2010, the European Court of Human Rights

European Court of Human Rights

, noting that the applicants failed to substantiate their allegation of discrimination on the basis of their ethnic origin and that there is no indication of discrimination of any kind in connection with their alleged ill-treatment and detention, has rejected some of complaints of seven persons arrested during the events against Estonian authorities, while adjourning their complaint of deprivation of liberty, as well as complaints of four of them concerning ill-treatment due to insufficient information. In 2011, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture

Committee for the Prevention of Torture

The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment or shortly Committee for the Prevention of Torture is the anti-torture committee of the Council of Europe...

(Council of Europe) has published its report on its 2007 visit to Estonia, stating that many of the persons detained by the police in connection with the April 2007 events in Tallinn were not granted all the fundamental safeguards (the right of those concerned to inform a close relative or another third party of their choice of their situation, the right of access to a lawyer, and the right of access to a doctor) from the outset of their detention: while many of the persons concerned were allowed to contact someone and to be assisted by a lawyer only when brought before a judge, a number of detained persons claimed that their requests to see a doctor whilst in police custody had been denied, even when they displayed visible injuries.

External links

Photos and videos

QTVR fullscreen panoramas near Bronze Soldier Monument (May 9, 2005; May 9, 2007)
Photos of the site at sites-of-memory.de (June, 2006)
Pictures of looters on the homepage of the Estonian Police
Postimees newspaper pictures of riots

Opponents of the relocation

Protest against the removal of the monument

Supporters of the relocation

Shawn Macomber, "Another Red Square Bites the Dust", The American Spectator
The American Spectator
The American Spectator is a conservative U.S. monthly magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. From its founding in 1967 until the late 1980s, the small-circulation magazine featured the writings of authors...

, May 2, 2007

Neutral views

Common grave for and a memorial to Red Army soldiers on Tõnismägi, Tallinn (PDF file) (Word file) Scientific studies about the historical background of the monument, compiled into a "Historical statement", by Peeter Kaasik, for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, 2006. (Translation into English)
Government compensates owners for damage caused by vandals - Press release of the Government of Estonia
Russia’s Involvement in the Tallinn Disturbances - Analysis by Estonian International Centre for Defence Studies
Estonian Review / Eesti Ringvaade, Volume 17 No 16-17 April 18 2007 – May 2, 2007 (News bulletin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia) (ISSN 1023-1951)
A full timeline of the Russian-Estonian row as reported by Russian news agency

Diplomacy

Lavrov letter slams EU over Estonia (Unofficial translation of the full text into English)
Letter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Germany and Finland about the shift of the statue

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Historical background

Interpretation of history

Further background

Confrontation

War Graves Protection Act

Proposed Law on Forbidden Structures

Public perception

Events surrounding relocation

Riots and violence

April 26–27

April 27

April 28–29

April 30

May 1

Epilogue

Bodies transferred to the relatives

Reburial of unclaimed bodies

Syssoyev's daughters' lawsuit

Trial of alleged organisers

Human rights issues concerning arrests and use of force by the police

See also

External links

Photos and videos

Opponents of the relocation

Supporters of the relocation

Neutral views

Diplomacy