Deconstruction of Soviet Deportations in Lithuania in the Context of the Genocide Convention

What is it about?

This paper explores Soviet deportations of Lithuanian citizens during occupations in 1940–1941 and 1944–1952 in the framework of a genocidal act as listed in Article ii, (c) of the 1948 Genocide Convention—deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. The focus of this paper is on the nature of Soviet deportations and the evaluation of two types of Soviet deportations from the perspective of legal elements indicated by Article ii, (c) of the Genocide Convention; including targeted persons, premeditation and principal mechanisms.

Featured Image

Photo by Majkl Velner on Unsplash

Photo by Majkl Velner on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The examination of the Soviet deportations in the international criminal legal framework of the Genocide Convention demonstrates that Soviet deportations definitely had genocidal characteristics, but it is still difficult to argue that they were ‘genocide.’ The legal elements of a genocidal act established in Article ii, (c) of the Genocide Convention—deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part—demonstrates that targeted persons, premeditation, and principal mechanisms of Soviet deportations in Lithuania must be proved. As Lithuanian historical context indicates two types of Soviet deportations, (deportations under the Soviet judicial system and mass deportations under administrative measures) this task becomes even more challenging. However, this examination of Soviet deportations in Lithuania should stimulate future academic discussions and claim symbolic justice for the victims of communism

Perspectives