CMS Researcher publishes new report: “Memory Laws in the Baltic States”
Dr. Dovilė Sagatienė, based at the Centre for Military Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, has published a new report as part of the research consortium “The Challenge of Populist Memory Politics for Europe: Towards Effective Responses to Militant Legislations on the Past (MEMOCRACY).” The report is accompanied by policy briefs in English, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. More here: https://memocracy.eu/policy-briefs.
The report is a case study on memory laws in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania after 1990 regarding the Nazi and Soviet eras. It outlines legal patterns, controversies, and background, with memory laws prioritizing certain past events due to perceived threats to societal or political principles. Legislation often validates specific historical narratives, tied to security concerns. The report distinguishes between punitive, non-punitive, and quasi-memory laws, highlighting the importance of legislation addressing Holocaust denial in the Baltic context. Punitive memory laws penalize certain speech about the past, restricting debate. Baltic legislation aligns with European standards and addresses both Nazi and Soviet occupations, with the former held accountable for crimes while the latter evaded responsibility.
The interdisciplinary project, MEMOCRACY, explores the memory laws and wars of Central and Eastern Europe and Germany from the perspective of militant democracy and mnemonic constitutionalism. The research consortium is a collaboration between scholars from University of Cologne, T.M.C. Asser Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences and University of Copenhagen, and is led by Senior Researcher professor Maria Mälksoo from the Centre for Military Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen.