Lithuania

ENDuring World War II, the independent Republic of Lithuania was attacked first by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Germany in 1941, and finally annexed - along with Estonia and Latvia - by the Soviet Union at the end of the war. Lithuania became one of the 15 Soviet socialist constituent republics. Independence was restored in 1990. Jews have resided in Lithuania since the fourteenth century, with a significant influx having taken place in the nineteenth century under the rule of the Russian czars. Lithuania was considered the heart of the Yiddish-speaking civilization. World War II decimated the Jewish population of Lithuania. Between 1939 and 1943, between 90 and 95 percent of Lithuania’s vibrant prewar Jewish community of 160,000 was murdered. Today, approximately 4,000 Jews live in Lithuania. Lithuania is one of the few European countries to enact restitution legislation since the Terezin Declaration was drafted in 2009. Despite passage of its communal property lawin 2011, restitution of private and heirless property in the country is still an unsettled issue. Unlike its Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Latvia, private property restitution in Lithuania has been hampered by requirements that eligible claimants are citizens of Lithuania. Furthermore, Lithuania has no effective heirless property legislation. [...].