PARIS, April 28 (RIA Novosti) - The European Court of
Human Rights announced on Tuesday it would hear on May 20 an
appeal by Latvia against a ruling that Riga must pay a Soviet
World War II veteran 30,000 euros in compensation.
Last June, the court ordered Latvia to pay Vasily Kononov
compensation for holding him in custody on charges of war
crimes. The 86-year-old veteran, who originally demanded 5
million euros ($7.8 million) in compensation, called the
decision "a mockery."
Kononov, who led a group of resistance fighters against
Nazi Germany in the Baltic state during WWII, was convicted by
Latvian authorities of ordering the killing of nine villagers
in 1944, with some reports saying the dead included a pregnant
woman. He admitted to the killings, but said the dead were Nazi
collaborators who were caught in the crossfire. Latvia was
under German occupation at the time of the incident.
The court agreed in February to hear Latvia's appeal
against the compensation ruling.
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