This book is the combination of three separate publications, in which the author Dr. iur. cand. Egons Rusanovs offers the readers research into the life of an outstanding lawyer and personality in Latvian history, including study about his less known publication. In the introduction the author encourages discussion about contemporary Latvian criminal proceedings in the context of current events and Professor Paul Mintz’s views. Continuing, the readers are presented with a version about significant biographical facts of P. Mintz’s life. Finally – a six-chapter translation from German of P. Mintz’s book «Extraordinäre Strafjustiz: rechtsgeschichtlichen Studien» (Extraordinary criminal justice: legal history studies) printed in Riga more than one hundred years ago, accompanied with all the explanations the reader may require, that is recognizable as a separate book.

As indicated by one of the authors of the book’s foreword Dr. hist. Professor Harijs Tumans, «one name and one work is returned to our cultural repository from oblivion. The dramatic and stormy events of the XX century not only broke many, many fates, but also distorted the historical memory, from which a plethora of names and works were lost, because they were not favoured by the communist regime. Thirty years have passed but we are still continuing to identify the losses and reclaim memories of people and their accomplishments. So it is a great pleasure that with this work one person and his accomplishments are fully returned to our cultural memory. »

Professor Paul Mintz (1868—1941) was one of the interwar period’s (1918—1940) Latvia’s lawyers – an outstanding criminal law and criminal procedure law theoretician and teacher, a sworn advocate and an all-round active member of society. For his merits in scientific and professional work the professor had also received various awards. He was actively involved in public and political processes, carried out significant scientific research, taught the new generations of lawyers, and was a recognized legal expert both nationally and internationally. Thus, with his scientific activities P. Mintz made an immeasurable contribution to the development of legal thought in the Republic of Latvia during the interwar period, and his scientific influence continues today.

In turn, the book’s foreword author Dr. iur. Professor Sanita Osipova emphasized that the books calls for learning from past mistakes and not exposing individuals to illegal processes. «First of all, it reveals to the reader a kind of Zeitgeist or spirit of the time, because it talks about an active, saturated and tragic life of an excellent lawyer. In addition, at least I was surprised by P. Mintz’s work «Extraordinary criminal justice: legal history studies» written in German more than a hundred years ago, which has not lost its relevance today.»

This book is only available in Latvian.