Octogenarian war-crimes convict faces expulsion from Estonia

Mar 23, 2007, 13:55 GMT

Tallinn - An 88-year-old Russian citizen convicted of crimes against humanity could face expulsion from his long-term home in Estonia after a court ruling, officials confirmed on Friday.

According to a ruling by the Estonian Supreme Court, an expulsion order issued by the Citizenship and Migration Board against Vasilii Beskov, who was convicted of war crimes in 1999, is valid.

But during the hearing, the board pointed out that it views Beskov's age and infirmity as 'good reasons' not to enforce the order - leaving its execution, and Beskov's fate, in doubt.

'Given Beskov's age and health, the board has decided to stop the execution of the expulsion order until the situation with his health changes,' Veronika Kaska, chief specialist on citizenship and migration at the Interior Ministry, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

In 1999, Beskov was found guilty of participating in the 1949 Soviet mass deportation of Estonian citizens. He was given an eight-year suspended sentence, valid for three years.

Under Estonia's law on aliens, anyone convicted of crimes against humanity is 'a threat to Estonia's national security, irrespective of the time they were committed,' Kaska said.

As a result, when the three-year sentence ran out, the legal ground for Beskov's stay in Estonia expired. The Citizenship Board refused to renew his residence permit and ultimately ordered his expulsion.

Beskov challenged the legality of the order in three levels of court, but all rejected his arguments.

Whether or not he will be expelled now rests in the hands of the Interior Ministry, which is tasked with recommending action to the government. Estonia's government is still in the process of formation after elections on March 4.

The ministry is currently preparing a recommendation on Beskov's fate which it will present to the government when an administration is confirmed, Kaska said. She could not comment on what the recommendation would be, however.

'It's a very tricky matter. On the one hand, Beskov was found guilty of crimes against humanity, but on the other, he's been living here since 1943, he has his family life here and he's very old,' Kaska said.

'We'll have to wait and see how the ministry comes up with an adequate recommendation on the matter,' she added.