COMMEMORATION CEREMONY FOR VICTIMS OF SOVIET MASS DEPORTATIONS

Last Wednesday, June 14, the Ceremony of Commemoration of the victims of the Soviet mass deportations took place at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in which the MEP Javier Zarzalejos actively participated. The ceremony was attended by several MEPs, as well as by several Permanent Representations to the European Union of the Member States, representatives of the Council of Europe, and external guests.

The day of the ceremony marked the 82nd anniversary of the mass deportations from the Baltic States by the Soviet regime. On June 24, 1941, more than 15,000 innocent people from Latvia were deported to forced labor camps in Siberia. One-sixth of them were children. However, this was only the first wave of large-scale atrocities. In total, Latvia is estimated to have lost about 15% of its population to Soviet repression. Lithuania and Estonia suffered equally heavy losses.

The official commemoration of the anniversary has become an official annual event of the European Parliament, hosted by the President of the European Parliament and organized by the services of the European Parliament. Last Wednesday, the event began with an introduction by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who recognized the importance of commemorating the victims of these crimes. Subsequently, different political personalities, including Javier Zarzalejos, read out the names of the deportees, thus honoring their memory.