The Ministry of Justice and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia dedicate the coming year to the memory of Gunārs Astra
Published: 22.10.2021
Add Events
On 22 October, Latvian freedom fighter Gunārs Astra would have turned 90.
Gunārs Astra’s contemporaries and family members, together with representatives of the Ministry of Justice and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, have formed an initiative group to organise a series of events both this year and next year, declaring this period the Year of Gunārs Astra.
Commemorating Gunārs Astra, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns notes: “Gunārs Astra’s personality was characterised by an unbreakable fighting spirit – he was not afraid to express his opinion and his desire to live in an independent Latvian state, and to resist the Soviet occupation regime. More than thirty years after Gunārs Astra’s death, we will honour his memory in particular on 15 December this year, when a monument will be unveiled beside the building at 34 Brīvības Street, where Gunārs Astra was sentenced by the Supreme Court of the Latvian SSR in 1983. The monument will symbolise the values expressed by Astra, his intelligence and his yearning for independence.”
The monument dedicated to Gunārs Astra, “Do Not Be Afraid”, was created by one of Latvia’s outstanding sculptors, Gļebs Panteļejevs. The site of the monument was chosen symbolically, to remind us of the mistakes once made by the judicial system when it bowed before superior force, and of the hope that such a situation will never recur.
On Gunārs Astra’s remembrance day, Solvita Vība, Director of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, emphasises: ”Holding fast to truth and values in every situation was the fundamental condition of Gunārs Astra’s life. True patriotism is the standard he left for our thoughts, deeds and actions today. By learning about Gunārs Astra’s personality and assessing ourselves, we can become better, grow in wisdom and spiritual strength. And this is not content dictated for just one day, but rather an honest, patient and collective effort for the future.”
To mark the anniversary year of Gunārs Astra, the initiative group plans to organise a conference at the National Library of Latvia on 15 December this year dedicated to the national resistance movement. In addition, at the beginning of next year, a book will be published containing historians’ commentaries and the full text of Gunārs Astra’s final statement at his trial in five languages. A television production about the trial is also being prepared by director Lauris Gundars and Armands Zvirbulis together with young actors from the Liepāja Theatre. The film will be about the trial, about us, about courage, about fear and about the almost impossible. As is known, Gunārs Astra delivered his final statement at the trial, concluding it as follows: “I believe that this time will fade away like an evil nightmare. It gives me the strength to stand and breathe here. Our people have suffered greatly and have therefore learned, and they will endure this dark time as well.”
Inspired by Gunārs Astra’s historical activities, the initiative group, which also includes his brother Leons Astra, publicist Arnis Šablovskis, Mārcis Gobiņš, who is promoting the establishment of the Gunārs Astra Foundation, and sculptor Gļebs Panteļejevs, plans to establish a Gunārs Astra support foundation, encouraging the entire nation, especially the younger generation, to identify with and take pride in the freedom fighters of the occupation era and their fearless spirit of patriotism. At the same time, to promote Gunārs Astra’s values and contribution to advancing independence, a separate section dedicated to Gunārs Astra will be created on the website of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. It is also planned to investigate the mysterious circumstances of Gunārs Astra’s death.
Additional information:
Defender of Latvia’s independence and dissident under the Soviet occupation regime, Gunārs Astra was tried twice: in 1961 and 1983. Following the restoration of Latvia’s independence, he was rehabilitated in both cases. On 18 November 1993, a commemorative plaque dedicated to Astra was installed in Riga beside the then building of the Ministry of Justice at 34 Brīvības Street. At the Cabinet meeting of 14 July 2020, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns put forward the initiative to erect a monument to Gunārs Astra. In December last year, the New Conservative faction represented in the Saeima submitted a proposal to allocate the funding required to create the monument in the national budget, and it was approved.
Information prepared by:
Ministry of Justice
Communications Department
Public Relations Specialist
