Lithuanian leaders mourn independence signatory Povilas Varanauskas

LRT and BNS report that Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius and Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas have expressed condolences over the death of Povilas Varanauskas, a signatory of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, scientist, public figure and former deportee.

“We have lost a man who courageously raised the goal of Lithuania’s independence during the national revival and, together with the other signatories, cemented it with his signature on March 11,” Sinkevičius said in a statement.

He said Varanauskas, whose life had been marked by deportation, deeply understood the value of personal and national freedom. He also actively worked within the community of political prisoners and deportees and was one of its most prominent voices.

Olekas said Varanauskas’s life reflected Lithuania’s painful but resilient history, according to the Seimas chancellery.

“The trials of deportation did not break his faith in his country or his determination to work for its freedom,” Olekas said.

Varanauskas died after a serious illness while in his 86th year.

He was elected a deputy of the Supreme Council-Reconstituent Seimas on February 24, 1990, and voted for the restoration of Lithuania’s independence on March 11 of that year.

“His signature placed on March 11 will remain forever in the history of our statehood,” Olekas said.

Varanauskas also worked in the Seimas on education, science and culture, citizens’ rights, nationalities, and the rights of resistance movement participants. He was a member of the council of the Lithuanian Political Prisoners and Deportees Union.

In 2000, he received the Independence Medal for his contribution to restoring and consolidating the independent Lithuanian state.