Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers

The Swedish extradition of Baltic soldiers, in Sweden known as the Extradition of the Balts (Swedish: Baltutlämningen), is a controversial political event that took place in 1945-1946, when Sweden extradited some 150 Latvian and Estonian former soldiers who had been drafted by Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II.

On 2 June 1945, the Soviet Union demanded that Sweden extradite all Axis soldiers. The government protocol from 15 June was kept secret until it became public on 19 November. It was supported by most of parliament and the Swedish Communist Party wanted to go further, by extraditing all civilian refugees from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The majority of the Baltic soldiers extradited were Latvians who had escaped from the Courland Pocket. When the refugees reached Sweden, those in uniform were detained in detention camps. The extradition to the Soviets took place on 25 January 1946 in the port of Trelleborg for transportation on the steamer Beloostrov. A memorial, "stranded refugee ship" (1999-2000) by Christer Bording, has been erected in Trelleborg. On return they were briefly put in a camp in Liepaja and later released. According to one source at least 50 of the Latvians were arrested between 1947 and 1954 and were sentenced, often to 10–15 years in prison.

Sweden also extradited about 3,000 German soldiers, according to laws on prisoners of war. The Balts were however more controversial since the Soviet authorities viewed them as Soviet citizens (the Soviet Union had occupied the independent Baltic states in 1940) and therefore regarded the Balts as traitors, and the internees feared death sentences. Two Latvian officers committed suicide and several of the Balts attempted suicide.

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