Sunday, January 4 marks the 73rd anniversary of the Audrini massacre when pro-Nazi collaborators wiped the village of Audrini, near Rezekne, off the map, killing more than 250 people, including more than 50 children.
Occupying Nazi forces had accused the village of sympathizing with and aiding pro-Soviet 'Red Partisan' fighters and embarked on one of the most appalling punitive actions of the Second World War.
"We must pay our respects to the slain and see a clear message when we look into the eyes of history - that the propaganda of a totalitarian regime, sowing hatred and lies can turn people into beasts," Vējonis said.
One of the alleged ringleaders of the massacre, Boleslavs Maikovskis, escaped to the United States at the end of the war but later fled to Germany when the extent of his involvement in the slaughter was exposed by the Central Intelligence Agency.
He was put on trial for mass murder in West Germany but his trial never ended as his health failed. He died in 1996.
