Roma's Kalanta
Romas Kalanta (born February 22, 1953 in Alytus , † May 15, 1972 in Kaunas ) was a Lithuanian dissident .
Life
Romas Kalanta was born into a working class family. His father was a World War II veteran and communist. His mother, on the other hand, was a believer and raised her children Catholic . Kalanta attended the 18th Kaunas Middle School. In 1971 Kalanta got into a conflict with the school administration over his appearance in history class , where he criticized Marxism . Since he had n't graduated from high school , he went to night school. He worked as a factory worker.
Self-immolation
On May 14, 1972 at 12.30 p.m. Romas Kalanta poured three liters of gasoline over himself and set himself on fire in the park in front of the Kaunas Music Theater , on the main street Laisvės alėja ("Freedom Avenue"). With the words "Freedom for Lithuania" he went up in flames. His self-immolation was one of the most famous protests against the Soviet regime . This act marks the beginning of anti-Soviet passive resistance in Lithuania. In 1972 alone there were 13 other protests against the Soviet regime, during which activists set themselves on fire. In the 1970s there was an underground press , the Lithuanian Helsinki Group campaigned for human rights, and the Lithuanian Freedom League declared independence its goal.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ life
- ↑ Lithuania honors freedom fighters ( memento of the original from March 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( Baltic Rundschau )
- ^ History of Kaunas
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kalanta, Romas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Lithuanian dissident |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 22, 1953 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Alytus |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 15, 1972 |
| Place of death | Kaunas |