President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė visited the Antakalnis Cemetery to honour the memory of those killed on January 13.

Before that the President attended a special sitting in the Seimas and made a speech. She underlined that there were days in the life of every nation when the power of will, unity and resilience of its people were tested and when their fate was determined. For Lithuania that day was January 13.

“Freedom was not given as a gift. We had to fight for it. People from all over Lithuania, each individually and all together, stood up to defend their homeland. We clearly realized then that only freedom could preserve our homeland and independence. We rejoiced in the support extended by other nations and we were proud to see their flags of freedom flying side by side with Lithuanian tricolors. We summoned the people and their faith in truth and freedom to protect independence. We summoned their aspiration to live in dignity and respect of our fundamental values and heritage. January 13 is the source of our unity,” President Dalia Grybauskaite said.

After the sitting in the Seimas, the President watched the flag–hoisting ceremony on the Independence Square.