Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940

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The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940^[1][2][3] refers to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union under the provisions of the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany and its Secret Additional Protocol signed in August 1939.^[4] The occupation took place according to the European Court of Human Rights,^[5] the Government of Latvia,^[6] the United States Department of State,^[7] and the European Union.^[8][9][10] In 1989, the USSR also condemned the 1939 secret protocol between Nazi Germany and herself that had led to the invasion and occupation of the three Baltic countries, including Latvia.

In July 1989, the country began the process of restoring their independence, and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Latvia's sovereignty was fully restored in 1991. On August 22, 1996, the Latvian parliament adopted a declaration which stated that the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 was a military occupation and an illegal incorporation.^[11]