Konstantīns Pupurs (March 5, 1964 in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, – September 10, 2017 in Riga) was a Latvian political scientist, historian, linguist and human rights group "

Helsinki-86 The CTAG (, Human Rights Defense Group) Helsinki-86 was founded on 10 July 1986 in the Latvian port town of Liepāja by three workers: Linards Grantiņš, Raimonds Bitenieks, and Mārtiņš Bariss. Its name refers to the Helsinki Accords and the ...

" activist during the Latvian Third Awakening, also known as the

Singing Revolution The Singing Revolution was a series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War. The term was coined by a ...

. Since 2010 he became active in the Latvian political movement " All For Latvia!".

Biography

Pupurs was born in Riga in 1964 and graduated from the Riga Secondary School No. 66 in 1981. The same year he studied at the Biryuzov Military Political School until 1982, after which he was drafted into the regular

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

until 1983. Right after his service he began his studies at the Moscow Institute for History and Archives, but was expelled for anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda in 1986. That autumn he enrolled in the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the State University of Latvia. From 1987 Konstantīns Pupurs was involved in the Environment Protection Club. On June 14, 1987, together with Helsinki-86 members he attended the first anti-Soviet demonstration in Riga at the

Freedom Monument The Freedom Monument () is a monument located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty of Latvia. Unveil ...

since the Second World War, commemorating victims of the

June deportation The June deportation of 1941 (, , ) was a mass deportation of tens of thousands of people during World War II from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, present-day western Belarus and western Ukraine, and present-day Moldova – territories which had been ...

from the occupied Baltic states in 1941. At the end of the year he officially joined Helsinki-86, which was announced on

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

and

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

. From 1988 he represented the interests of the group at the Council of Public Organizations, which at that time served as an informal "parliament" of all unofficial and official organizations in Latvia. On June 14, 1988, Pupurs carried the then-banned

flag of Latvia The national flag of Latvia () was used by independent Latvia from 1918 until the country was Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940, occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. Its use was suppressed during Soviet rule. On 27 February 1990, shortly befor ...

through the city center - the first public display of the flag since the 1940s. After the event, Pupurs was expelled from university. He and his mother Astrīda were stripped of Soviet citizenship and ordered under duress to leave the USSR by the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

in July 1988 for his participation in Helsinki-86. From 1988 to 1990 Pupurs lived in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, actively participating in the Latvian exile political movement and cultural life. Later, in 1990, he moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, Pupurs moved back to Latvia in 1992, where he continued his education at the University of Latvia and actively participated in Latvian political life. In 1994, after an alleged assassination attempt, he moved back to US. While in the United States, he worked various odd jobs until 1995 (e.g. as a housemaker, a representative of the

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

state government and a Merchant Marine

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

), eventually gaining U.S. citizenship and joining the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

in 2004 as an NCO. While there, he obtained the rank of Second Lieutenant in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. From 2007 to 2008 he served in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and from 2008 to February 2010 he was posted to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

with the Medical Service Corps (U.S. Army), receiving a number of decorations. He graduated from Massachusetts State University in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 1999, and in 2003 obtained his master's degree from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

in Russian and Post-Soviet Studies. After his military service, he returned to Latvia in 2010, where he served in the Riga Municipal Police, later joining the Latvian Maritime Academy as a lecturer and translator. Since 2010 he became active in the Latvian political party " All For Latvia!". Pupurs was married twice. During his second marriage, his son Ivars Pupurs was born in 2008. Konstantīns Pupurs died on September 10, 2017.

References

External links

Pupurs' obituary in ''Kadets'' (The Cadet) issue 45/2017, the magazine of the Latvian National Defense Academy (p. 100-101, in Latvian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pupurs, Konstantins 1964 births 2017 deaths University of Latvia alumni Latvian activists People from Riga