Fortyfour years have passed since 1940 when Lithuania. Latvia. and Estonia were overrun by the Communists and. subsequently. forcibly annexed into the Soviet Union. June 14. 1940 was just the sad beginning of years of systematic terror and massive deportation by the Communists. First. the intellectuals and politically active citizens were executed. and then. the peasants and others who desired only to live in peace. Tragically. thousands of people in Lithuania. Latvia. and Estonia were uprooted from their native lands and driven savagely to Siberian labor camps where many more perished of starvation. disease. and exposure. The Soviets imposed harsh restrictions on religious practices. customs. and use of native languages on the remaining citizens. Although the Nazi invasion interrupted these "russification" efforts. when the Communists regained control in 1944. they reoccupied the Baltic States and the deportations continued. Another 445.000. or 10 percent of the entire Baltic population. were deported in 1948 and 1949. Today. Baltic citizens are struggling within the Soviet Union for their right to freedom. justice. and selfdetermination.
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deportation deportations deported