Victims of the June deportations were commemorated in various locations across Estonia. This was already the eighth time the memorial event "We Will Not Forget You" was held.
In Tallinn, people gathered at the Pääsküla memorial. This memorial was created by sculptor Tõnu Maarand 35 years ago. It is dedicated to all who died behind barbed wire.
Nearly 600 people gathered in the President's Rose Garden. They came at the invitation of President Alar Karis. Together, they remembered the injustices of the past. The president said we must remember the past so that evil does not repeat.
On Saaremaa, people gathered at Jaagarahu harbor. From here, people were deported to cold lands in 1941 and 1949. Asta Salumaa was seven years old when she was deported. She had to walk the path of suffering twice.
In 1947, she was released, but then she had to go again. She spent three months in prison and was then sent back to her mother. It was a very difficult time.