Guarini Institute and Lithuanian Community Remember "January Events"

The Guarini Institute and Lithuanian Community commemorate the “January Events”

The Guarini Institute for Public Affairs and the Lithuanian Community of Rome commemorated the 26th anniversary of the brutal Soviet crackdown against Lithuania, then still part of the Soviet Union, known as the “January Events.” The event was meant not only to remember the repression, but also to draw lessons for the present and future. A photographic exhibit was also set up for the occasion, with shots taken before, during and after the intervention of Soviet special forces against peaceful protesters at the start of the last year of the USSR’s existence.

H.E. Jolanta Balciuniene, Lithuanian Ambassador to Italy, welcomed the audience, before passing the stage to Prof. Argentieri, who mostly focused on current issues and dangers. Prof. Alessandro Vitale of Milan State University spoke next, explaining how Lithuania fought over several centuries for its independence, before tackling the dynamics of the events of 1990-91. He was followed by two eyewitnesses of the “January Events,” Ms Egle Bucelyte and Fr. Algyrdas Dauknys, before the closing statements from Ms. Elze Di Meglio that concluded the event on behalf of the co-organizers.