Mykolas Burokevičius facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mykolas Burokevičius
Burokevičius in 2006
First Secretary of Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania
In office 3 March 1990 – 23 August 1991
Preceded by	Algirdas Brazauskas
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Full member of the 28th Politburo
In office 14 July 1990 – 29 August 1991
Personal details
Born	7 October 1927 Alytus, Lithuania
Died	20 January 2016 (aged 88) Vilnius, Lithuania
Political party	Communist Party of Lithuania
Other political affiliations	Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Alma mater	Vytautas Magnus University Education Academy

Mykolas Burokevičius (born October 7, 1927 – died January 20, 2016) was an important political leader in Lithuania. He was part of the Communist Party. When the main Communist Party of Lithuania decided to become independent from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), Burokevičius started a different Communist Party in Lithuania. This new party wanted Lithuania to stay part of the Soviet Union. He led this party from 1990 until it was no longer allowed in 1991. He was also the only person from Lithuania to be a member of the top leadership group of the Soviet Union's Communist Party, called the Politburo.

Mykolas Burokevičius's Early Life

Mykolas Burokevičius was born in Alytus, Lithuania, in 1927. When he was a teenager in 1942, he worked as a carpenter and a machinist. This was at a factory in a place called Udmurtia.

In 1944, he joined the Lithuanian Communist Party. He worked there as a department chief and an instructor. He studied at the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute, which is now the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences. He graduated from there in 1955. Later, he also graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences in 1963.

After his studies, in 1963, he became a researcher. He worked at the Institute of the History of the Party. This institute was part of the Central Committee of the Lithuanian Communist Party.

Political Role in Lithuania

In December 1989, the main Communist Party of Lithuania decided to separate from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Mykolas Burokevičius then became a leader of the group that wanted to stay with the Soviet Union. On March 3, 1990, he became the First Secretary of this group.

His party believed that Lithuania should remain part of the Soviet Union. In the elections for the Supreme Council of Lithuania on February 24, 1990, seven members from Burokevičius's party were elected. However, the Supreme Council declared that Lithuania was independent again in March. This was called the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania.

On January 11, 1991, Burokevičius's party sent a strong message to the Lithuanian government. They demanded that Lithuania follow the rules of the Soviet Union. They also said they might create a "Lithuanian National Rescue Committee." This committee would take control of Lithuania's future. The party did create this committee. They also set up other groups that acted like alternative government departments.

A few days later, on January 13, 1991, the Soviet Army attacked the TV tower and station in Vilnius. During this attack, 14 people died. Between January 11 and 19, 1991, Burokevičius's party made several public statements. These statements encouraged the forceful removal of Lithuania's independent government. Burokevičius helped to prepare these important statements.

Legal Challenges and Later Life

After the January Events, Mykolas Burokevičius faced legal action. He was arrested in Belarus in 1994, based on orders from Lithuania. From 1996 to 1999, Burokevičius and five other members of the Lithuanian Communist Party went to court. They were tried for their part in the January Events.

In August 1999, a court in Vilnius found him responsible for his actions. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The court said he had helped organize actions that aimed to overthrow the state. In 2000, the President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, offered Burokevičius a chance to be pardoned. However, Burokevičius refused this offer. He said he was innocent and had not done anything wrong. He finished his prison sentence and was released on January 13, 2006.

In 2006, Burokevičius took his case to the European Court of Human Rights. He claimed that Lithuania had violated his human rights during his trial. He argued that his trial took too long. He also said he was punished for actions that were not considered crimes at the time. Additionally, he claimed his rights to freedom of thought, speech, and association were violated. He believed he was unfairly punished for his communist beliefs and for supporting Lithuania staying in the Soviet Union.

In 2008, the European Court of Human Rights made its decision. The court found that Lithuania had not violated Burokevičius's rights.

Mykolas Burokevičius passed away in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2016. He was 88 years old.