War Graves Act News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

TALLINN – The Estonian Heritage Society said that it is not reasonable to exhume and rebury all graves associated with Soviet monuments an...

The ICOMOS Estonian Committee, made up of heritage conservation specialists, finds that expedited removal of protection from 275 monuments without expert analysis and explanation is illegal and harms not only cultural heritage but also the reputation and principles of the National Heritage Board.

In an interview with ERR, National Heritage Board Director General Liisa Pakosta says that revoking the heritage protection status of war graves, a process the board initiated this week, is purely a technical effort. According to Pakosta, the Constitution of Estonia doesn't permit the Heritage Board to determine whether a war grave marked with a memorial during the Soviet occupation may also be of historical value as well.

Excavations in Otepää, at the site of what was believed to be a common grave for local Red Army soldiers killed in the Second World War , have revealed no signs of human remains.

Local governments are becoming increasingly interested in the relocation of Soviet era war memorials and monuments, particularly when these are in prominent locations.