Lietuva in brief - 2010-03-17

Around 1,000 people gathered on Tauras hill in Vilnius, called by the United Democratic Movement (JDJ) to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Restoration of Lithuania’s Independence, separately from the official commemorative events, reports ELTA. “Today is the day of our freedom, but I would like to ask whether we all are really free? March 11 has only given us an opportunity to be free, but unfortunately we have forgotten that freedom means heavy responsibility. Freedom is not a thing given us once and for all time. We are free from the dictatorship, but are we free from lies?” said actor Regimantas Adomaitis. About 20 well-known people in the country, including conductor and professor Saulius Sondeckis, have signed a manifesto on the legal, moral and political status of the country and the aims of activities from last February.

Lithuania has a right to want there to be friendly, European countries following the rule of law, both to the East and West, and that we will live safely, said MEP Vytautas Landsbergis, during events dedicated to the March 11 anniversary at the Seimas, reports ELTA. “Lithuania [has the right] to not be threatened by army maneuvers next to our state border, by mistrals or an entire new military fleet in the Baltic Sea which would protect some pipeline,” Landsbergis said. “First, it was necessary to reject lies. Then we had to reject fear and reject not believing that the truth and good faith still had value and could still win in this world. And millions of people who signed petitions of the Sajudis and formed the Baltic Way, said: We can! We will be free and we will build our lives, we elect our real representatives, we take a constitutional sovereign decision,” said Landsbergis.