For 123 years. from 1795 to 1918. the people of Lithuania suffered under czarist rule. Shortly after their independence. Lithuania was guaranteed independence by the Soviet Union forever. This agreement was soon abrogated by the Soviet Union. Soviet rule of Lithuania has been a series of mass deportations. liquidations of political leaders. and continual persecution of their beloved church. Religious freedom has been repressed and political freedom is a distant memory. As we commemorate the anniversary of Lithuanian independence. all free citizens of every country should pause to remember the precious rights of selfdetermination and political freedom that have been so inhumanely denied these proud people since the 1940 Soviet invasion.
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deportations