“I have admired my father most of all because of his firm position. What he considered to be true and correct, he did not recede from it, even if it was unprofitable, it was necessary to go against the stream and could be very dangerous”, so about the father, the son of the first president of Latvia Janis Cakste, the senator of the Department of the Civil Cassation of the Senate of Latvia Mintauts Cakste speaks his daughter Aija Cakste. Aija Cakste couldn’t arrive to the solemn action devoted to 90-year-old anniversary of the Senate, so therefore she visited the Supreme Court this week, while having arrived to Latvia from Sweden for a couple of days. Aija Cakste has met the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ivars Bickovics in a friendly conversation, has visited the court museum, and has expressed her gratitude for the brochure published by the Supreme Court «Senators. The senate of Latvia 1918-1940», and also has presented the written memoirs on her father. In memoirs Aija Cakste describes some examples which testify to a firm position of senator Mintauts Cakste and all family of the president in protection of statehood and democracy of Latvia. “When Russian army in severe year came into Latvia, so called “circus elections” had been organised, in which Latvians asked “to adopt them in the Soviet family”. In passports seals about participation in elections had been set. No one of sons of Janis Cakste went to elections. It seems to me, it was under the offer of the father. Their passports were without the seals, that was very dangerous», tells Aija Cakste.

Also from memoirs of the daughter we learn about the attitude of Mintauts Cakste to overturn of May, 15th, 1934, which was a hard blow for him as for the expert in jurisprudence.

The facts about the attitude of Latvian expatrians to Saeima, to the Constitution of Latvia and to „how it would be possible to put Latvian case in a free world” were less known. Aija Cakste does not hide that in emigration in Sweden conditions were unpleasant, because poets, journalists and others discredited these things and the big hatred was kindled against her father and his adherents, and it has gone harmful for Latvia.

Nevertheless, the former senator successfully participated in the international conferences of lawyers, and in his articles in political magazines in England, the USA, Germany and Sweden, there had been expressed support of Latvia. During time truth of the father had been proved and he has been remembered with dignity and respect, - the daughter of the senator tells with please.

She is also glad about the interest and respect, that the present Supreme Court shows for its predecessors in the Latvian Senate. Aija Cakste has expressed a wish, so that legal books from library of her father, which children of the senator had brought to Latvia in the early 90-ties and had given to the Society of lawyers, come to the museum of the Supreme Court.

Mintauts Cakste was the senator of the Latvian Senate in 1934-1940. During German occupation he had worked in the Latvian Main Board. In 1944 year he had emigrated to Sweden. He was the grant-aided student of scientific work at the Stockholm University, the publicist, he participated in the international congresses of lawyers. He always used possibility to point to illegal incorporation of Latvia to Soviet Union. He died in 1962 in Sweden.

 

 

Information prepared by

Head of the Division of Communications of the Supreme Court Rasma Zvejniece

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 7020396, 28652211