13/06/2026
On 14 June 1941, shortly after the Soviet occupation of Latvia, Soviet authorities carried out a mass deportation in which more than 15,000 Latvian residents—including thousands of children—were forcibly taken from their homes and transported in cattle cars to Siberia and other remote regions of the Soviet Union. Families were often separated, with many men sent to labor camps in the Gulag system while women, children, and the elderly were exiled to isolated settlements. The deportees endured harsh conditions, hunger, disease, and forced labor, and many never returned.
The reason? Why? Soviet authorities justified them as a security measure against people they labeled "socially dangerous" or "anti-Soviet." Those targeted included former government officials of independent Latvia, military officers, police personnel, judges, business owners, landowners, intellectuals, and their family members. Special NKVD lists had been prepared in advance, and many deportees were accused not of specific crimes but of belonging to social groups considered politically unreliable by the Soviet regime.
Today, 14 June is commemorated as a day of remembrance for the victims of Soviet repression and one of the most tragic events in the nation's history.
We will never forget.
Through the Latvian foundation *Sibīrijas Bērni* (Children of Siberia), the stories of survivors and their families are preserved and shared, ensuring that this chapter of Latvia’s history is never forgotten. Their experiences of resilience, courage, and survival remind us of the importance of historical memory, freedom, and human dignity. We honour the victims, survivors, and families.
Explore the following links:
https://sibirijasberni.lv/en/
https://sibirijasberni.lv/en/about-2/
Watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8UoBCdDMhJw
