27/03/2019 16:07
Lithuania finds ex-Soviet defense minister guilty of war crimes
A Lithuanian court found former Soviet defense minister Dmitry Yazov guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Wednesday for his role in a 1991 crackdown against the Baltic state’s pro-independence movement.
The Vilnius court sentenced Yazov, 94, in absentia to 10 years in prison. He was the highest-ranking person on a list of 67 former military officials and army officers being sentenced after the three-year trial.
While only two of the accused were present in court on Wednesday, all 67 were found guilty and received sentences of between four and 14 years in prison.
The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russia has refused to cooperate with the trial, calling it illegal and in violation of the fundamental principles of justice, and former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, 88, declined to testify.