Investigations into the Crimes of the Soviet Totalitarian Regime in Lithuania: A Search for the Clandestine Graves of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters
摘要
This article explores the atrocities committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime in Lithuania, focusing on the systematic concealment of the remains of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters and their supporters from 1944 to 1953. This highlights the partisan war, a resistance movement against the Soviet occupation, and the NKVD’s (The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) deliberate efforts to suppress national memory through the desecration and clandestine burial of victims. Drawing from archaeological investigations in Marijampolė, Rietavas, Leipalingis, and Lazdijai, this study reveals patterns of the concealment of remains, burial practices, and the disrespectful treatment of victims. These findings contribute to the historical record, provide evidence of Soviet war crimes, and underscore the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in recovering, identifying, and commemorating victims of these atrocities.