January 20 is an official memorable day in the Republic of Latvia — is the Day of Remembrance of the Barricade Defenders of 1991.
The tragic events of January 1991 unfolded in the Latvian capital after the Seimas adopted the Declaration on the Restoration of State Independence of the Republic of Latvia (LR). For some time, dual power reigned in the country: all structures of the USSR were still operating, and the parliament and government were formed in parallel by the structures of the Republic of Latvia. This is how two prosecutor’s offices, police and police arose.
Back on January 13, a rally of thousands of the Popular Front took place in Riga in support of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of independent Latvia, and in the evening the construction of barricades began around strategic facilities in the capital. In the following days, local clashes began between the warring parties.
On the evening of January 20, 1991, when barricades had already been erected everywhere in Riga, the Riga riot police, who remained faithful to the union oath, stormed the local Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the armed battle, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs —, senior district inspector Sergei Kononenko and police lieutenant Vladimir Gomonovich were killed, and in a neighboring park, a stray bullet hit documentary film director Andris Slapins, and cameraman Guido Zvaigzne was mortally wounded.
In commemoration of these events, 20 January was designated as the Day of Remembrance for the Defenders of the Barricades, 1991. According to tradition, this day begins with a minute of silence in honor of the victims. Senior officials take part in laying flowers at the graves of the fallen in Riga, and then at the Freedom Monument. In the evening, a service takes place in the Dome Cathedral, after which the President of Latvia gives a speech.
In the evening, memorial fires are lit on Dome Square. A fire and field kitchen are installed near the Seimas building, as well as in other places throughout the Republic.