English
Nederlands
By Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska
On June 14 Lithuania marks the Day of Mourning and Hope, and the Day of Occupation and Genocide. On June 14, 1941 at 3 o’clock in the morning the Soviet authorities started mass deportations and arrests. This was the first wave of Soviet mass deportations in Lithuania
During 1941 and 1953 some 132,000 Lithuanians were deported to Siberia, remote parts of the USSR, the area of Arctic Circle and Central Asia. More than 70 percent of the victims were women and children.
During the Soviet occupation Lithuania lost about 800,000 residents. Many died as the result of hunger or exhaustion or were killed by the Soviet authorities. Deportation operations were held at the same time also in Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.
Based on data from the Genocide and Resistance Research Center, from 1940-1958 every third Lithuanian became the victim of the Soviet genocide and terror.
Lithuania marks this Day by hoisting mourning flags and with many commemorating events.
Source: https://www.communications-unlimited.nl/lithuania-remembers-3-2/
Follow Us!