Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Barricades of 1991 were a series of confrontations between the Republic of Latvia and the Soviet Union in January 1991, centered mainly in Riga. Citizens built and defended barricades from the 13th of January until about the 27th of January to protect strategic sites against possible Soviet military seizure.
Six people were killed during the Barricades of 1991. The first fatality was Roberts Mūrnieks, a transport ministry driver shot on the 16th of January. The deadliest night was the 20th of January, when OMON forces attacked the Latvian Interior Ministry, killing two policemen, a film director, and a 17-year-old schoolboy.
Latvia had declared restoration of independence from the Soviet Union on the 4th of May 1990. When Soviet OMON forces began seizing buildings and strategic infrastructure in early January 1991, and after Soviet troops killed 13 civilians in Lithuania on the 13th of January, Latvians mobilized to physically protect key sites including the Supreme Council, Latvian Radio, and television facilities.
Around 700,000 people gathered in Riga for the Popular Front demonstration on the 13th of January 1991. Around 32,000 people have since received the Commemorative Medal for Participants of the Barricades of 1991 for their participation or support.
On the 9th of November 1999, the Riga District Court found ten former Riga OMON officers guilty for their involvement in the attacks. The Communist Party of Latvia, Interfront, and the All-Latvian Public Rescue Committee were banned by parliament, and two of their leaders were tried for treason.
Latvia declared full independence during the Soviet coup attempt in the summer of 1991. The Soviet Union formally recognized Latvian independence on the 6th of September 1991, and the Soviet Union itself dissolved in December 1991.