Museum of Genocide Victims

Auku str. 2a, Vilnius
Tel.: +370 5 2663282
E-Mail: muziejus@genocid.lt

Unarmed anti-Soviet resistance

Upon suppression of the armed anti-Soviet resistance, which lasted for almost ten years (1944-1953), the Lithuanian nation further continued to oppose to the system forced upon by the strangers, their ideology and way of life. The opposition to the regime most distinctly manifested itself by the spontaneous actions. Most significant actions were: rallying of youth in Kaunas and Vilnius in 1955-1957 on the day for commemorating the dead and massive demonstrations on May 18-20, 1972 in Kaunas when Romas Kalanta had burnt himself protesting against the occupation of Lithuania. The drastic deed of the nineteen-years-old youth aroused anti-occupation spirits in the country and made the world to utter again about the illegal incorporation of Lithuania and other Baltic States into the USSR.
 

In sixties-eighties, the unarmed resistance became more public, several trends came to light, the main of them being the opposition of the priests and believers to restrictions of activity of the Catholic Church, to violation of believers' rights and movement for the humans rights.
 

In 1972, the idea, matured for several years, to fix the violation of these rights and to inform about it the country and the world, was implemented. On March 19 of that year, the first number of "Chronicle of Lithuanian Catholic Church" (hereinafter - the "Chronicle") was issued. Its editor, compiler and the publisher was the priest Sigitas Tamkevicius (presently the bishop and the ordinary of Kaunas Archbishopric) and, upon his arrest (1983), - Jonas Boruta who had graduated from the underground Priests Seminary (presently the bishop and the assistant of the ordinary of Vilnius Archbishopric). The "Chronicle" was the underground newspaper issued for the longest period of time and most widely read in Lithuania. From 1972 to 1987, 81 number was issued. The publication was secretly sent to the West where it was translated into English, German, Spanish languages and re-published, as well as read in Lithuanian over the "Voice of America", "Free Europe", "Vatican radio".
 

During five years, the TTGKK had distributed 52 documents to various Soviet establishments and international organizations. TTGKK demanded the permission to teach the principles of religion, to discontinue the forced atheisation, not to forbid religious literature, press, etc. The activity of the TTGKK influenced all the society - it encouraged fight for own rights and liberties, taught to express own ideas freely, being not afraid of the almighty KGB.
Other trend of the anti-Soviet opposition was the defense of human rights. It was especially strengthened after the Conference of the European Security and Co-operation, which was held in Helsinki in 1975. The establishment of "Lithuanian Public Group for Supporting of Execution of Helsinki Agreements" (hereinafter - Helsinki group) in Lithuania was announced at the conference given to foreign journalists in Moscow on December 1976. Its members and founders were the priest Karolis Garuckas, the Doctor of Physical Sciences Eitanas Finkelsteinas, the poetess, writer, former political prisoner Ona Lukauskaitė-Poskiene, the former political prisoner Viktoras Petkus, the poet, translator Tomas Venclova. The main purpose of Helsinki group was to inform the world about the violations of human and national rights in the Soviet Union. Since 1982, about 30 numbered and several not numbered documents were drawn up and reached the West. It should be noted that the members of Helsinki group in their documents reminding the annexation of Lithuania executed by the USSR in 1940 incited the observation of human rights, as well as the rights of a nation. The aim to restore the independent state was provided for in the statutory manifest of Helsinki group.
KGB treated Lithuanian Helsinki group as the anti-Soviet organization and its documents were deemed libeling "the Soviet state and the social system". In 1979, one of the leaders of the group Viktoras Petkus was arrested and punished by imprisonment for 15 years, other members were also arrested later on. Though the composition of the group continuously changed because of the arrests, it did not terminate its activity.
The Lithuanian Liberty League (Hereinafter - LLL, League) can be attached to the separate trend of the opposition. The initiative group led by Antanas Terleckas founded it in July 1978. It was non-party organization acting in accordance with the democratic principles, the main purpose of which, as it was stated in the declaration published in the underground magazine "Ausra", was to restore the independent state of Lithuania. The League raised the task to increase the national consciousness of youth, prepare for the restoration of the independence of the country, to raise the issue of the illegal annexation of Baltic states in international forums. The LLL published two underground newspapers - "Laisves sauklys" and "Vytis". The largest comments were received from the "Declaration of 45 residents of Baltic States". It was sent to the General Secretary of the United Nations, Governments of the states, which had signed the Charter of Atlanta, as well as to the Governments of the USSR, GFR, and GDR. The application was signed not only by the dissidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, but also by the famous Russian fighters for human rights. With their help the document appeared in the West and on August 23, 1979 - the day of the 40th anniversary of signing Molotov - Ribbentrop Pact - and was read in the Lithuanian broadcast of the radio station "Voice of America".
Upon arrests of the most active members of the LLL its activity ceased and was renewed only in 1987. The League arranged the first public meeting intended for the 48th anniversary of signing of the Molotov - Ribbentrop Protocols fatal to Lithuania. The demand to withdraw the Soviet troops from Lithuania and to restore the independence of the country was expressed publicly for the first time.
 

The movement of ethnography, which induced the active participation of academic youth, young specialists, also witnessed the opposition to the Soviet regime. This movement developed in sixties-seventies: ethnographical unions, tourist, discussion clubs were founded in which the problems of Lithuanian history were considered, old Lithuanian holidays, customs popularized, discussions on the issues of art and literature held, historical places visited. Even such kind of activity, however, was treated as "nationalist" and persecuted. 
The material about the unarmed resistance possessed by the museum is still not abundant, it is gradually supplemented and ordered. The base of it was formed from the material seized by the KGB during the Soviet period from the dissidents and citizens sympathizing with them: books, underground publications, documents. Almost all issues of "Chronicle of the Lithuanian Catholic Church" are stored in set, as well as the underground magazines and newspapers "Ausra", "Vytis", "Alma Mater", "Laisves sauklys", "Dievas ir Tevyne", "Tautos kelias", etc. In resent years, interesting photos reflecting the dissident movement and the members of this movement were acquired. The contacts entered in with the former dissidents gives hope that the collection will be supplemented by valuable and interesting material.