On March 25, 75 years will have passed since the Soviet regime forcibly deported over 20 000 people from Estonia to Siberia and other remote areas of the Soviet Union – nearly 3% of the total Estonian population. The majority of the deportees were women and children under the age of 16.

On March 25th many commemorations will take place over Estonia, including a remembrance ceremony at the Victims of Communism Memorial at Maarjamäe and the lighting of thousand of candles at Freedom Square in Tallinn. The Estonian Institute of Human Rights also asks Estonians around the world to light memorial candles to be placed at home windows to remember the victims in solidarity.