NGO to Install Grave Plaques for Two Unidentified Border Crossers
The NGO 'I Want to Help Refugees' will install grave plaques on June 16 for two women who died after crossing the Latvia-Belarus border and were buried unidentified.
The NGO "I Want to Help Refugees" will install two more grave plaques on Monday, June 16, for unidentified deceased border crossers. This time, the plaques will be for two women who were buried on May 16 and May 20 of last year. The plaques will be placed in Zaščirina Cemetery in Ezernieki Parish, Krāslava Municipality, and in Grīnvalde Cemetery in Šēdere Parish, Augšdaugava Municipality.
According to the NGO's information, between October 2023 and April 2026, 11 people died in Latvia after crossing the Latvia-Belarus border and were buried as unidentified. These individuals were buried by the municipalities where their remains were found, but no further maintenance of the burial sites was planned. The NGO has agreed with local officials to improve the gravesites so that relatives can visit them.
In November 2024, the NGO installed the first two grave plaques in Vecā Silene Cemetery in Skrudaliena Parish, Augšdaugava Municipality, and in June 2025, seven plaques were placed in Zaščirina Cemetery in Ezernieki Parish. The grave plaques for unidentified border crossers are funded by donations to the NGO.
The NGO "I Want to Help Refugees" provides practical and voluntary assistance to asylum seekers, refugees, and beneficiaries of international protection, as well as promotes their integration in Latvia.
