In 1987, on June 14, the human rights group “Helsinki–86” laid flowers at the Freedom Monument in Riga to commemorate the victims of the 1941 deportations. In Soviet Latvia, it was a brave public breaking of silence: “Latvijas Vēstnesis” describes it as the first open protest against Soviet totalitarianism, while the National Encyclopedia identifies it as the first major event in the Freedom Monument’s role during the Awakening. The monument again became a place where fear turned into political will.

The action took place at a time when Soviet control was still real, but society was already building a demand for truth about the occupation and repressions. It helped turn June 14 from a silenced trauma into a public date of remembrance and resistance.