On 25 March, 77 years will have passed since the Soviet occupation regime’s mass crime against the Baltic peoples. On that day, more than 22,000 people were deported from Estonia to Siberia, and over 90,000 people in total from the three Baltic states, including many children and elderly people.

We commemorate all those who were deported and their families, and we keep historical memory alive so that such crimes may never happen again..

Overview of commemorative events taking place across Estonia on 25 March:

ANNIVERSARY CEREMONY OF THE MARCH DEPORTATION

25 March 2026, 4.00–5.00 pm
at the “Home Garden” memorial to the victims of communism in Estonia, Maarjamäe.
Gathering from 3.45 pm..

Victims of the March deportation and communist terror will be commemorated with speeches and prayer. During the ceremony, we will commemorate the victims of the March deportation and all victims of communist terror with speeches and a prayer. Everyone is welcome to lay a wreath or flowers at the memorial. This year marks 77 years since the March deportation.
On Wednesday, 25 March, we remember the thousands of victims of the March deportation.
Come and light your memorial candle at Vabaduse Square in Tallinn at 6.00 pm.

A memorial candle on your windowsill at home or at Vabaduse Square is a quiet yet clear message: we do not forget. We remember the victims of terror, keep historical memory alive, and stand for freedom and solidarity in both difficult and brighter times.

At Vabaduse Square, only candles with lids and plastic casings are permitted.
This is necessary to ensure everyone’s safety, as an open flame may ignite modern synthetic materials, and glass candles may pose a danger if they break.

After the day of commemoration, the candle remains will be collected. The remaining wax will be used to make new candles, while the plastic casings and metal lids will be given new life in the work of an Estonian artist as small sculptures and other decorative objects.
This year marks 77 years since the March deportation of 1949 — one of the most tragic chapters in the history of Estonia and the Baltic peoples as a whole. The Soviet occupation regime deported more than 22,000 people from Estonia to Siberia, and over 90,000 from the Baltic states in total. Among them were many children, elderly people, and entire families — people whose only “crime” was to have been born in the wrong time and place in the eyes of a totalitarian regime.

This day reminds us of the fragility of freedom and how easily human rights can be eroded when those in power fail to respect human dignity.

Today, more than three generations later, we once again see war and crimes against humanity in Europe. In Ukraine, cities are being bombed, homes destroyed, and people deported. These events are a painful reminder that history does not belong only to the past — it can repeat itself if we do not remember it and stand against it.

As Estonians, we know all too well what it means to live under occupation, to lose loved ones, and to be forced to leave one’s home. For that reason, we cannot remain indifferent to those who today face the same injustice and violence.

On 25 March, we light memorial candles in honour of those who were taken to Siberia, and in remembrance of all those who have fallen victim to totalitarian violence.

We remember. We keep historical memory alive. And we stand for freedom, human dignity, and justice — so that such crimes may never happen again
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