Press release, 31 July 2016
On 31 July 2016, Lithuania marked the 25th anniversary of the tragic events in Medininkai when seven Lithuanian officers were shot dead at the Lithuania–Belarus border. A moment of silence was held and flowers were laid at the Medininkai Memorial to honour their memory that day.
Photos of the Office of the Seimas (author Džoja Gunda Barysaitė)
While addressing participants of the commemoration, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, noted that the officers, who were killed at the Medininkai border checkpoint, did not fear the imminent danger and frequent attacks by the Soviet militia special-purpose detachments and joined the public service of our young state not only because of their professional career but also “because of their patriotic disposition, love for the Homeland and the consciously perceived responsibility to serve it.”
The Speaker reminded the participants that this year the Seimas marks the 25th anniversary of the Defence of Freedom. “The heroes of Medininkai have also joined the ranks of the fallen defenders of freedom,” said the Speaker.
She suggested that the period of 25 years is a long time span if we “count the years of the search for the truth”. The Speaker of the Parliament voiced her regret that, while commemorating the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, we still did not have many legal answers and stressed that different time measurements are applied when you count the years after the loss of your loved ones. “Twenty five years is such a short time span when you remember and lament over those whom you were raising to become honest and decent people. Those you had to see off to eternity. Too early! Much too early,” said Mrs Graužinienė.
The Speaker expressed her conviction that our young generation needs, at a very early age, to learn about the painful though extremely significant facts of the first years of our newly restored independent Lithuania. We need to cherish the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for “the future of us all, for the future of our state and our young people” and always remain grateful to and respectful of them.
While concluding her speech, Mrs Loreta Graužinienė stressed the necessity to “loudly and bravely” speak about the Medininkai tragedy: “While honouring the memory of the victims and being aware that they have sacrificed their lives for the sake of us all, we must demand the truth,” said the Speaker.
Mrs Loreta Graužinienė subsequently visited Antakalnis cemetery where she laid flowers on the graves of the victims of the Medininkai tragedy.
On 31 July 1991, seven Lithuanian officers were cold-bloodedly killed at the Medininkai border checkpoint, including: Mindaugas Balavakas and Algimantas Juozakas, officers of the rapid response team ARAS of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior; Juozas Janonis and Algirdas Kazlauskas, traffic policemen of the Police Department, and Antanas Musteikis and Stanislovas Orlavičius, inspectors of Vilnius Customs Office of the Customs Department. The wrist watch stopped on Algirdas Kazlauskas’ hand at 3:40 that morning. Ričardas Rabavičius died of bullet wounds in his head at the hospital on 2 August 1991. The only survivor, customs officer Tomas Šernas, who suffered severe injuries, was saved by medical personnel.
Neringa Mikėnaitė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6344,
mob. +370 698 42 759; e-mail: [email protected]
