Former KG officer, Mikhail Golovatov (62) commanded a special unit killing Lithuanian demonstrators in Vilnius on 13 January 1991. Here from the burial ceremony at the Vilnius Cathedral.

Prague, July 21 (CTK) - The Czech Republic has joined Lithuania's protest against Austria's release of a former Soviet secret service (KGB) officer in spite of a European warrant for his arrest issued in Lithuania, it ensues from yesterday's statement by the Czech Foreign Ministry, available to CTK.

Lithuania wants to prosecute the former KGB agent, Mikhail Golovatov, for alleged war crimes from 1991.

The other two Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, have backed Lithuania's stand.

Czech diplomacy supported Lithuania after a phone conversation between the Czech and Lithuanian foreign ministers, Karel Schwarzenberg and Audronius Azubalis, Foreign Ministry spokesman Vit Kolar said.

"Persons responsible for people's violent death under dictatorial regimes in Central and Eastern Europe should be brought to court. To push through the rule of law, every European country has a moral duty to cooperate in these cases," the ministry wrote.

According to some diplomats, the Czech stance can be interpreted as an act of solidarity with the Baltic states against Moscow.

Golovatov, 62, commanded a special unit whose members were shooting at Lithuanian demonstrators in Vilnius on January 13, 1991. A total of 17 people were shot dead and some 700 wounded. The authorities of the collapsing Soviet Union thereby attempted to thwart Lithuanians' effort to reach independence.

A similar intervention of Soviet armed forces in the neighbouring Latvia resulted in seven casualties.
Lithuania wants to charge the former KGB officer with crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Last Thursday, Golovatov was detained at the international airport in Vienna. He was released a day later allegedly because the arrest warrant was too vaguely formulated.
Security expert Andrei Soldatov, cited by Die Presse Austrian paper, has said Golovatov retired only formally and he keeps working for the FSB Russian secret service, a successor to KGB.

Source:
http://praguemonitor.com