Vilnius, June 21 (RFE/RL) - Two former Lithuanian communist leaders will be tried for their role in the 1991 Soviet crackdown, during which 13 people were killed and hundreds more wounded.
The Lithuanian prosecutor in Vilnius today sent to court the cases of Mykolas Burokevicius, former first secretary of the party's Central Committee and Juozas Jarmalavicius, former member of the Politburo. The two men are accused of playing a key role in the Soviet crackdown on january 13, 1991, when Soviet troops attacked Lithuania's television tower.
Burokevicius and Jarmalavicius, who later fled to Russia after their party was banned, have been held in a detention center since their subsequent return to and arrest in Lithuania in 1994.
Their trial is expected to begin towards the end of August and could reportedly last at least six months.
The Lithuanian prosecutor in Vilnius today sent to court the cases of Mykolas Burokevicius, former first secretary of the party's Central Committee and Juozas Jarmalavicius, former member of the Politburo. The two men are accused of playing a key role in the Soviet crackdown on january 13, 1991, when Soviet troops attacked Lithuania's television tower.
Burokevicius and Jarmalavicius, who later fled to Russia after their party was banned, have been held in a detention center since their subsequent return to and arrest in Lithuania in 1994.
Their trial is expected to begin towards the end of August and could reportedly last at least six months.