Transitional Justice in Latvia: Competing, Coexisting and Complementary Pasts

Upon regaining independence in 1991, Latvia faced the challenge of redress and accountability for multiple pasts, including abuses spanning one Nazi and two Soviet occupations between 1940 and 1991, as well as Latvian collaboration with some of these atrocities. This essay examines the temporal scope of seven transitional justice measures enacted by Latvia in the period 1991–2023, illustrating three different temporal approaches to the challenge of redress for multiple pasts: measures focused on a single past; measures in which the pasts complement each other or are considered to have coexisted; and measures in which multiple pasts compete for recognition and accountability.