Latvia's top officials honor victims of Deportation

Mar 25, 2008
In cooperation with BNS

After a short ceremony the Latvian national anthem, Latvian President Valdis Zatlers, Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis, Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, Defense Minister Gaidis Berzins, and representatives of the parliament and the Riga City Council laid flowers at the Freedom Monument.

Gunars Resnais, head of the Latvian Association of Deportation victims, also took part in the ceremony.

About 200 people joined the commemorative event in Riga center.

March 25 is the day for commemoration of Communist genocide victims who were deported to Siberia in 1949.

In compliance with a secret government decree, 43 families, including elderly people and small children, were deported from Latvia from March 25-29, 1949.

The Occupation Museum of Latvia also unveiled a new documentary film in a continued effort to raise awareness of Communist crimes in Latvia.