Video installation marks March 1949 deportations anniversary
A video installation marked the 71st anniversary of the March 25 mass deportation by the Soviets of Estonians to Siberia, Wednesday evening's edition of ETV current affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
The installation, organized by the Human Rights Institute (Inimõiguste instituut) and held at the Maarjamäe Victims of Communism Memorial included an outline of the former Soviet Union's territory, along with rail lines which led to the Siberian Gulag system and other locations Estonians were deported to, with red lights representing these destinations
Traditional candle-lighting events marking the occasion were canceled this year due to the coronavirus emergency situation. The public was urged to light a candle in their window at home instead, and to post photos of same online with the hashtag #mäletame ("Let us remember" in Estonian).
From March 25-28, 1949, more than 90,000 people across the Baltics, including more than 20,000 in Estonia, ranging from infants to the elderly, were forcibly removed from their homes by Soviet forces and deported to Siberia as part of Operation Priboi ("Coastal Surf"). Thousands would never return.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
