Prosecutor General’s Office of Latvia has decided to end the investigation against famed pilot Herberts Cukurs, who during the World War II has joined the SD Latvian auxiliary police unit under Viktors Arājs, created by Nazi occupational authorities, that took part in murder of more than 30 000 Jews during the Holocaust. The case was opened in 2006 based on the Paragraph 71 („Genocide”) of Latvia’s Criminal Law, and was terminated due to absence of elements of the crime. This has stimulated the relatives of Cukurs to renew the attempts to reinter his remains at the Brothers’ Cemetery in Riga.
Many Latvian historians have voiced their doubts concerning the decision of Prosecutor General’s Office, and consider the re-interment to be unacceptable. Their opinion was shared on the Latvian TV1 program „Kultūršoks” (in Latvian). The opinion of the Jewish Community was presented by the director of the museum “Jews in Latvia” Ilya Lensky.
Currently the Jewish Community is preparing a submission to the Prosecutor General’s Office to get acquainted with the investigation files, and after going through it next steps will be taken.
