Poland 'disappointed' with Strasbourg Katyn verdict

Radoslaw Sikorski: photo - wikipedia

The Polish government had taken part in the case at the Strasbourg court as a third party, backing 15 relatives of victims of the 1940 massacres that saw over 20,000 Poles executed by the Soviet secret police.

Speaking with journalists while in Luxembourg, Sikorski said that the court's Grand Chamber had “declined to give a clear judgement.

“Poles, including the Polish government, will not cease in their efforts to clarify all aspects of this heinous crime, while also striving for the full rehabilitation of the victims,” he insisted.

The process of rehabilitation is normally applied to those unjustly sentenced in court, and it would clear the victims of any stain on their honour under Russian law.

Sikorski noted nevertheless that the court had “clearly indicated that the Russian Federation did not provide this case and the court itself with sufficient cooperation.”

The court's Grand Chamber had ruled that the adequacy of Russia's 1990-2004 investigation into the WWII massacres cannot be assessed, as the European Convention on Human Rights only came into force in Russia in 1998, eight years after Russia's Katyn investigation began.

The foreign ministry issued an official statement, reiterating Sikorski's comments, adding that Poland will also continue to demand that Moscow hands over all outstanding case files from its Katyn investigation.

Sikorski attended an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday. (nh)

Source: PAP