A Monument to Freedom Fighter Gunārs Astra Is Being Erected

On 22 October this year, Latvian freedom fighter Gunārs Astra would have turned ninety – this autumn, a monument will be erected to him outside the building at 34 Brīvības Street, where he was sentenced by the Supreme Court of the Latvian SSR in 1983. 

At his trial on 15 December 1983, Latvian patriot Gunārs Astra delivered his final statement, concluding with these words: "I believe that this time will fade away like a bad dream. It gives me the strength to stand and breathe here. Our people have suffered greatly and have therefore learned, and they will also endure this dark time."

Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns emphasises: “A monument to a person characterised by an unbreakable spirit and who defines the Latvian nation is an important symbol for the entire Latvian people. It will remind us of the price we paid to win our independent state, and will also affirm that upholding true values, even in the face of superior forces, ultimately prevails. I am pleased that the monument to Gunārs Astra is being created by one of Latvia’s most outstanding sculptors, Gļebs Panteļejevs, who also created the monument to Colonel Oskars Kalpaks and the environmental sculpture “The Black Threshold” near the former KGB building in Riga.”

The process of creating the monument is proceeding smoothly – the casting work is already under way. Its location and visual design have been approved by the relevant Riga City Council authorities and have left no evaluator indifferent.

Gļebs Panteļejevs comments on the monument’s significance: “For me, as for our entire generation, Gunārs Astra was a hero. A hero performs a heroic deed—a hero’s work. My work and duty – to immortalise this hero’s work in a monument.”

Additional information:

It has already been reported that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns put forward the initiative to erect a monument to Gunārs Astra at the Cabinet of Ministers meeting of 14 July 2020. In December last year, the New Conservative Party Faction in the Saeima submitted a proposal to allocate the funding necessary for creating the monument in the state budget, and the proposal was supported.

Information prepared by:

Ministry of Justice

Communications and Technical Support Division