Mr. Speaker. it is a particular personal privilege and pleasure to join with my colleagues here this afternoon in commemorating the origin of Lithuanias independence 56 years ago. This very special historical event occurred on February 16. 1918. after Lithuania had been occupied by czarist Russia for more than 100 years. Under the Soviets hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians were rounded up and deported to torturous camps in Siberia. Thousands more were falsely accused of being political enemies and were murdered. Religious practice was suppressed. Every Communist effort was and has been consistently made to eliminate the world renowned culture of the proud Lithuanian people.
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