When discussing the January 1991 events, the Lithuanian academic community still lacks deeper theoretical insights into the concepts of crime, injured party, and victim in the specific context of this crime. Therefore, the object of this article is the crime of the January events themselves and the victim, or injured party, as defined within the Lithuanian legal system, as well as the ways in which the victims reflect upon and interpret themselves.

The author of the article, researcher Monika Rogers, emphasizes that the victim of the January 13th events, as constructed in Lithuanian legal, criminological, and victimological discourses, differs from the typical “ideal victim” of international crimes in that they are neither weak nor passive, and thus do not conform to the classical definition of the “ideal victim.” In legal discourse, the victims of these events are portrayed as an especially significant part of the Lithuanian political nation – active defenders of Freedom who defended the Lithuanian State and its independence.

Having analyzed interviews with victims and witnesses of the January 13th events, the researcher concludes that some injured persons find it difficult to accept the label of “hero” or even to acknowledge their status as victims. At the same time, they reject identification with the role of a passive victim and instead present themselves as dignified and proactive individuals.

The open-access article is available here.

The project “The January 13th Case and Events: A Legal, Criminological and Historical Research” (SAUSIO13), on the basis of which the article was prepared, was funded under the 2016–2024 Programme for Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination by the Research Council of Lithuania, Contract No. S-LIP-20-71.