Nameless Graves of Migrants in the Borderlands

Since the border crisis began in 2021, several migrants have lost their lives along the Latvia-Belarus border. According to available information, more than ten of them have been buried in cemeteries in the Augšdaugava and Krāslava regions. These individuals died after illegally crossing the border.

Very little is known about the deceased – their identities remain unidentified, and the grave markers only indicate their gender and the date of burial. Since 2004, the society “Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem” (I Want to Help Refugees) has been installing memorial plaques in these cemeteries, hoping that one day relatives might find the final resting place of their loved ones.

The organization aims to preserve the memory of these individuals and draw public attention to the tragedies of migrants at the border. Although official investigations are ongoing, many questions remain unanswered, and families often have no way of knowing what happened to their relatives.