Commemorating Defenders of the Freedom of Lithuania 

Every year, on January 13th, Lithuania commemorates the day of Freedom Defenders to honour the 14 unarmed civilians who died to defend the national recovery of independence. For 30 years, the Lithuanian Runners Association, the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence have annually organized the Honor Run event. In Vilnius, the participants run a symbolic distance of 9 km, which starts at the memorial burial grounds and ends at the Vilnius TV Tower.

On the same day, the Lithuanian members of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) family organized their own commemorative run in the memory of the killed in the defence of Lithuanian Freedom on 13th January 1991. 

BALTDEFCOL faculty members, students and their families gathered in the vicinity of Anne Canal to run and commemorate this significant historical event together with Lithuanian friends. Prior to the run, a short brief was provided to describe the events that happened in 1991 in Lithuania.

All the participants were hosted with hot tea, some pastry and were recognized with the commemorative medal. Thank you all for supporting and respecting each nation’s traditions.