On the 25th of March 2022, which is the Remembrance Day for the Victims of Communist Genocide, Latvijas Pasts issues a postage stamp and a special cover in honour of Gunārs Astra, a member of the Latvian national resistance movement. The first day cancellation of the stamp is scheduled to take place in the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia from 10 AM to 3 PM on the mentioned day. The official presentation will be held in the same place at 14 AM and it will see the participation of Minister of Justice Jānis Bordāns, Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts Mārcis Vilcāns, Director of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia Solvita Vība and the designer of the stamp Lilija Dinere.
On the symbolic date of the 25th of March, which is the Remembrance Day for the Victims of Communist Genocide in Latvia, Latvijas Pasts dedicates a stamp to G. Astra, one of the most prominent members of the Latvian national resistance movement of the day. The face value of the new stamp is €1.20 and it corresponds to the postage of items in the weight class up to 20 grams in Latvia, while its print run is 25,000 copies. The release of the stamp is accompanied by the issue of a special cover with a print run of 800 copies. The philatelic releases have been designed by the artist L. Dinere.
The stamp features a portrait of G. Astra, while the special cover is supplemented by a quote from G. Astra’s last statement in the LSSR Supreme Court in the occupied Latvia on the 15th of December 1983: “I believe that these times will disappear like a nightmare does. That gives me the strength to stand and breathe here. Our people have suffered a lot and learnt from it, and they will overcome these times too.”
G. Astra is one of the most significant participants of the Latvian national resistance movement of his time. During the USSR occupation, he was subject to repressions twice for his views, meetings with foreign diplomats and distribution of literature unwanted by the Communist party. In total, he spent nearly 20 years in prison. He gained prominence in 1983 by categorically renouncing any cooperation with the Committee for State Security (KGB) and thanks to his last statement in court, which was later broadcast on foreign radio programmes and repeatedly published in the press.
