Today, a conference dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the barricades is taking place in the Saeima, the parliament's press service reported.
The conference "January Barricades of 1991 as a Manifestation of Popular Resistance to Totalitarian Regime and Lessons for Today" will feature historians, politicians, and experts in law and security.
The conference will be opened by the Speaker of the Saeima, Daiga Mierina, President Edgars Rinkēvičs, and Prime Minister Evika Siliņa. The attendees will also hear from the Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, and the President of the 4th May Declaration Club, Velta Čebotarenoka.
The moderator of the conference will be the President of the 1991 Barricades Participants Club, Renārs Zālītis.
In the first part of the conference, participants will discuss the national and international significance of the barricades and their contribution to the foundations of Latvia's security. Presentations will be made by former President of Latvia, Egils Levits, the Chairman of the Defense and Internal Affairs Commission of the Supreme Council during the barricades, Talavs Jundzis, and the former Chairman of the Popular Front, Romualds Ražuks.
In the second part of the conference, the focus will be on the legal, historical, and military aspects of non-violent resistance and the role of society. The discussion will include Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Ineta Ziemele, historian and leading researcher at the Latvian Institute of History, Guntis Zemītis, leading researcher at the Latvian National Defense Academy, Ieva Berziņa, and other experts.
