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Lagle ParekEstonian public and state figure
Date of Birth: 17.04.1941
Country:  Estonia |
Content:
- Early Life and Family
- Deportation and Sibir
- Education and Early Career
- Dissident Activity and Arrest
- Imprisonment
- Post-Liberation and Political Career
- Later Years
- Awards and Recognitions
- - 2006: Order of the White Star, 2nd class
Early Life and Family
Lagle Parek was born on April 17, 1941 in Pärnu, Estonia, during the Soviet era. Her father, Karl Parek, had served as a captain in the Estonian army but was executed in Leningrad after being deported by the Soviet authorities. Her mother, Elsbeth Parek, was a museum director.
Deportation and Sibir
In 1949, Lagle's family, including her older sister Eva, grandmother Anna Markus, and mother, were deported to Siberia as part of the Soviet regime's mass deportation of Baltic residents. Elsbeth was imprisoned for hiding banned books, while her daughters lived with their grandmother until their return to Estonia in 1954-1955.
Education and Early Career
Lagle graduated from the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute and worked as an architect in the State Planning Committee. She later became a technician at a design institute in Tartu.
Dissident Activity and Arrest
In 1981, Parek participated in a public letter signed by 38 Baltic individuals, advocating for a nuclear-free zone in the Baltic republics. She was also involved in a samizdat publication and had connections with dissidents in Russia. In 1983, she was arrested for anti-Soviet activities and sentenced to six years in a labor camp.
Imprisonment
Parek served her sentence in the Doubravlag "Small Zone" for female political prisoners. She participated in hunger strikes and other protests, resulting in punishments such as solitary confinement. In 1987, she was released during a general amnesty for political prisoners.
Post-Liberation and Political Career
After her release, Parek returned to Estonia and played a key role in the country's struggle for independence. She co-founded the Estonian Party of National Independence (ERSP) and served as its chair from 1988-1992. She participated in the alternative parliament, the Congress of Estonia, and was elected to the first Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, in 1992. Parek served as Minister of Interior from 1992-1993 but resigned during the "Pulläpae crisis," an incident involving a mutiny by rebel soldiers.
Later Years
In the mid-1990s, Parek converted to Catholicism. She has been active in charitable work through the Estonian Caritas, a branch of the international Catholic charitable confederation. In recent years, she has resided at the Monastery of St. Birgitta in Pirita.
Awards and Recognitions
Parek has received numerous awards for her contributions, including:- 1996: Order of the State Coat of Arms, 2nd class
- 1998: "Consensus" Award, shared with Andrei Khvostov and Larisa Vassilchenko
- 2006: Order of the White Star, 2nd class
- 2007: Citizen of the Year- 2009: Order of Rebirth of Poland
