Commemoration of the victims of January 13 and January 20 in Vilnius and Baku at the Rostropovich Museum
On January 16, at the Rostropovich Museum in Baku, Lithuania and Azerbaijan came together to commemorate and honor the victims of the tragic events of January 20 (1990) in Baku and January 13 (1991) in Vilnius, when the Soviet army killed civilians trying to intimidate Lithuanian and Azerbaijani people not to seek freedom.
But the will of our people was not broken, and eventually our countries re-established independence. Today we are thankful for Defenders of Freedom, and time and again are reminded that freedom must be constantly strengthened.
The event at the Rostropovich Museum featured young talents from the Bulbul Musical School and their moving musical performance, as well as the Exhibition on January 20 by the students from the Arts Gymnasium in Baku.
After Soviet crimes on January 13, Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich gave a charity concert in January in Spain (where he was at that time) to support Lithuania's independence, and spoke against aggression. M. Rostropovich was awarded Lithuania’s January 13 Medal. Born in Baku, M. Rostropovich is remembered not only as an outstanding musician, but as a defender of freedom and human dignity.
