Lithuania declared its independence on February 16. 1918. after nearly a century of occupation by Czarist Russia. Its freedom came to a tragic end 22 years later. when more than 300.000 Soviet troops marched in under the protection of the NaziSoviet alliance. A puppet government was installed and more than 30.000 Lithuanian patriots were deported to Siberian labor camps. Since that time. the Lithuanian people have watched as the Soviet Union has stripped them of their human rights and attempted to erase their cultural and religious heritage. In Lithuania itself. any public celebration of national independence is considered a criminal offense.
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