Tallinn - An opposition party in the Baltic state of Estonia reacted angrily Tuesday to the acquittal on Monday of four people accused of organizing serious riots about a Soviet-era war memorial in the Estonian capital Tallinn, in April 2007, accusing prosecutors of a lack of professionalism. On Tuesday, the Harju County Court released the full text of its decision, which resulted in the acquittal of four defendants: Dmitri Linter, Dimitri Klenski, Maksim Reva and Mark Siryk.
The four had been charged with organizing riots in the wake of a government decision to relocate the Soviet-era war memorial in Tallinn.
Millions of dollars' worth of damage was caused when mobs of mainly ethnically Russian youths rampaged through the Estonian capital, looting shops, vandalising cars and fighting running battles with police. One person was stabbed to death amid chaotic scenes.
All four were members of a youth organization called Night Vigil dedicated to protecting the memorial, which is known to Estonians as "the bronze soldier" and to Russians as "Alyosha".
Around one quarter of Estonia's population is ethnically Russian. While most Estonians regard the monument as an unwelcome reminder of Estonia's years of communist control, Russians see it as a reminder of the sacrifices made by Red Army soldiers during World War II.
"The prosecution failed to adequately prepare the criminal case and because of that inadequate criminal files were handed to the court," said Karel Ruutli of the opposition People's Union party on Tuesday.
"In the opinion of the People's Union, the security police failed to fulfill its duty of uncovering anti-state activities and ensuring Estonia's security," according to a party statement.
During the trial, the court was shown video footage of the riots and heard recordings of telephone conversations as well as prosecution and defence witnesses. Eventually it decided that though the riots undoubtedly took place, it could not be proven that the four organized them.
Furthermore, the court decided that Night Vigil had not been an illegal organization in the run-up to the riots.
"The actions of Night Vigil and the defendants prior to the mass disturbances were in the opinion of the law enforcement agencies not unlawful until April 27, 2007, as the police did not intervene in their activities or demand that such activities be ended," the court ruled.
On Monday the Russian foreign ministry issued a statement welcoming the court ruling.
"The decision of the court again confirmed the fairness of the public outrage triggered by the provocative venture by the Estonian authorities to desecrate the graves of the Soviet soldiers and transfer the monument in Tallinn," it said.
Public prosecutor Triin Bergmann confirmed that the decision would be appealed.
