Gunārs Astra (1931 – 1988) was a Latvian human rights activist arrested by the Soviet Union in 1961 and sentenced to prison for 15 years. He was released in 1976. In 1983 he was arrested again but released several weeks before his death.
A plaque on the District Court in Riga states: In this building on 15 December 1983 Gunārs Astra, the fighter for the freedom of Latvian people, was sentenced. "I believe that this time will disappear like a nightmare. This gives me the strength to stand and breathe here."
Gunārs Astra is buried in the Meža kapi in Riga.
1998. Novel Gunars Astra written by Māris Ruks (awarded the General Goppers Prize (USA) - a historical documentary of the most renowned defenders of human rights, renewal of independence in the Baltic States and dissident Gunārs Astra)