23rd November 1939

Latvian Independence

Extract from Wikipedia

The Declaration begins by reiterating several historical facts. On the basis of these facts, it argued that the Republic of Latvia was still de jure a sovereign country. It observes that Latvia's declaration of independence on 18th November 1918 was internationally recognized in 1920, and that Latvia was admitted to membership in the League of Nations in 1921.The first country to recognize the independence of Latvia de jure was Soviet Russia on 11th August 1920, when the Soviet-Latvian Peace treaty was signed (it is generally considered that the independence of Latvia de jure was internationally recognized on 26th January 1921, when it was recognized by the Allies of World War I). The declaration notes that in April 1920 the Latvian nation followed the principle of self-determination by electing a Constitutional Assembly of Latvia, which adopted the Constitution of Latvia on 15th February 1922, in general, equal and direct elections, based on proportional representation.

On 23th August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which included a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence. Latvia was apportioned to the Soviet sphere and on 5th October 1939, signed a mutual assistance pact. On 16th June 1940, the Soviet Union issued an ultimatum to Latvia accusing it of not carrying out the treaty, namely of forming a military alliance against the USSR, and requested a new government to be formed and to guarantee Soviet military free entrance in Latvia. The Latvian government decided to give in to the ultimatum and on 17th June 1940, Soviet forces entered Latvia. The Declaration states that the Soviet ultimatum and ensuing invasion amounted to an 'international crime', and contended that the government formed in accordance with Soviet demands should not be recognized as a representative of Latvian state power, since it represented Soviet, not Latvian, interests.

On 14th–15th July 1940, elections were held for the People's Saeima (a Soviet-type parliament of Latvia). The People's Saeima met on 21th July 1940 and declared accession to the Soviet Union. The declaration states that the election of the People's Saeima took place on the basis of unconstitutional and illegally adopted election law in a state of political terror. It noted that the 'Latvian Working People's Bloc' (installed by the legalized Communist Party of Latvia) was the only party allowed to contest the election out of 17 parties which submitted lists. According to the declaration, the Labor People's Bloc gave no indication prior to the election that it intended to make Latvia part of the Soviet Union, and the election results were heavily falsified. The declaration observes that the People's Saeima was formed by misleading the people and therefore did not express the sovereign will of the Latvian people. It also notes that the People's Saeima had no right to liquidate Latvia's sovereignty on its own authority, since the Constitution required that any major change in the form of the state and its political system must be submitted to a national referendum. Therefore, the Declaration argued that the annexation of Latvia to the Soviet Union was not valid under international law. It therefore reasserted the status of the Republic of Latvia as a de jure subject of international law, and noted that more than 50 countries still recognized Latvia as an independent state. The Supreme Council thus took the line that Latvia did not need to follow the secession process outlined in the Soviet Constitution, since the Declaration was reasserting an independence that still legally existed.

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