Vasiliy Kononov, an 85-year-old Latvian who was granted Russian citizenship in 2000, was convicted in April 2004 of murdering Latvian civilians during the war and was sentenced to a year and eight months in jail.
The case outraged many Russians, who saw him as a brave partisan fighting the Nazi armies that devastated the Soviet Union. Former Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Kononov occasional notes, such as one to wish him a happy new year.
"The Court considered that the applicant could not reasonably have foreseen on 27 May, 1944, that his acts amounted to a war crime under the international rules governing conduct in war applicable at the time," it said in a statement.
"There was, therefore, no plausible legal basis in international law on which to convict him of such an offence," it said, adding that national law could not serve as a basis for his conviction in 2004 either.
Kononov was part of a group of partisans who raided and burned homes in a Latvian village after they found weapons supplied by Germany there. In all, nine people were killed ?€” six men and three women, one of whom was pregnant.
Kononov said the victims were all Nazi collaborators who had handed 12 partisans, including women and a child, over to the Germans. Challenging the Latvian ruling, he argued that his actions did not amount to a crime at the time.
In its 4-3 ruling, the court also awarded Kononov 30,000 euros ($47,010) in damages.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.