State continuity of the Baltic states 1941–1944, Estonia remained occupied by the Soviet Union until its restoration of independence in 1991. Accordingly, Estonia as a state was temporarily prevented from fulfilling its international commitments. The court's rulings appear favorable to several aspects, which are important with regard to restoration of the Baltic states including the legal continuity doctrine. The rulings confirmed that the USSR committed crimes in the illegally occupied Baltic states such as Soviet deportations from Estonia and, in case Tatjana Ždanoka vs Latvia, drew parallels between legal treatment of the German Waffen SS and hardline elements of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
MS Jan Heweliusz captain, who died in the accident, also being blamed for allowing the ship to sail in such an unseaworthy state. In 2005, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasburg ruled that the official investigation of the sinking was not impartial and granted 4600 euros in damages each to eleven relatives of the victims. Today, the wreck of the ship is located at the depth of 27 metres and is frequently visited by divers. MS Jan Heweliusz MS "Jan Heweliusz" was a Polish ferry named after astronomer Johannes Hevelius () that served on the route Ystad-Świnoujście. It was built in