Posted on 01/13/2006 12:55:38 PM PST by lizol
Baltic honours Soviet opponents
By Laura Sheeter BBC News, Riga, Latvia
People in the Baltic states of Latvia and Lithuania are marking the 15th anniversary of mass demonstrations against the Soviet Union.
In January 1991, hundreds of thousands of people went onto the streets of their capital cities to defend their newly declared independence.
Both Latvia and Lithuania regard the events as a turning point.
They are honouring the protesters who faced Soviet troops, sent to re-impose direct rule from Moscow.
And many are also mourning those who lost their lives when the troops attacked.
Stand-off
The days of the Riga Barricades - as they are known in Latvia - began on 13 January 1991 and lasted a week.
Latvia had declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990
About 700,000 people - nearly a third of the country's population - gathered in the Latvian capital, after protesters in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, were attacked by Soviet tanks and paratroopers.
The Soviet troops took over the national TV and radio station, and surrounded the Lithuanian parliament, killing 14 people and injuring more than 100.
In Riga, they built concrete barricades all over the city, and the stand-off lasted until 20 January - when Soviet special forces attacked the interior ministry - killing five people.
Bonfires
But eventually, the Soviet troops retreated, protesters triumphed and military rule was not imposed.
Both Latvia and Lithuania regard those momentous events as a turning point on the road to full independence from the Soviet Union.
This year, the anniversary is being marked with a series of special events. Bonfires are being lit at key points in both capital cities, and in Riga will be burning all week.
Memorial services are being held in both countries and the Bank of Latvia has issued a new coin to commemorate the anniversary.
Gorby should be extradited to Lithuania to answer for his crimes.
Don't expect from Putin to do so.
Oh I know it will never happen, and all the lefties that think Gorby is a saint will conveniently overlook the events that took place in Lithuania.
I will ping them, we will see :)
ping!
I really didn't need to get pinged twice for this btw...
Putin? Gorbachev probably spends more time in the US nowadays.
Keep trying, but not even you can squirm this on Putin. Gorby lives in California, his office is at the Presidio and he has 2 houses in San Fran.
These are the people who turned out the lights on the Communist party. Turn out the lghts the party's over, Communist, that is. Nobody noticed, not even Bush 1. Poland was not a part of the Soviet Union.
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