Radio România Internațional

Tag: romanian revolution

  • The 35th anniversary of the Romanian revolution

    The 35th anniversary of the Romanian revolution

    A small protest began on December 16, 1989 in Timișoara that would lead to an avalanche of demonstrations across the country. This will result, on December 22, in the ousting of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his regime, but some 1,150 people were killed and 4,100 wounded in the process. Of those who died then in Timișoara, the regime tried to make the bodies of 44 of them disappear: they were taken to Bucharest, put in the ovens at the crematorium, and their ashes thrown into the sewer in the Popești-Leordeni village, in the south of Bucharest.

    The people who rose up in Timișoara fought against the regime that had come to power after 1945 and for their rights and for a better life. On December 16, 1989, very few people could ever imagine what would happen in the following days. The journalist Mircea Carp, one of the former directors of the Free Europe radio station, recalled, in a 1997 interview given to the Oral History Center of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, the feverish expectations that everyone had:

    “After the events in Brasov in 1987, in 1988 and 1989 the Iron Curtain began to fall, with lots of things happening in quick succession, in East Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Only in Romania things seemed to stand still, nothing was moving. Ceausescu seemed to be very much in control of the situation, so much so that he was even able to go on an official visit to Iran, from where he returned after he was told serious things were happening back home. But Ceausescu never believed that his position was at risk.”

    Europe in 1989 was seething, and the emergence of Solidarity on the Polish political scene in the spring was the signal for the return to life. By December, throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the wind of change could not be stopped. For Mircea Carp, the start of the Romanian revolution in Timișoara was a fulfillment of a burning desire, but also a shock:

    “December 1989 came and with this first spark, the events in Timisoara. I have to say that they took us by surprise in terms of the moment when they happened, because, of course, we had prepared both mentally and in terms of the content of our shows for a possible regime change in Romania. But, in itself, the 16th and the following day, the 17th of December 1989, came unexpectedly for us. As for me, I was taking a few days off, I wasn’t even in the office those days. My colleague Sorin Cunea was the first to broadcast on the airwaves what was happening in Timisoara.  Starting from December 18, we organized ourselves and started working in teams and working 24 hours a day. We worked in teams of 3 or 4 people, non-stop, preparing all these shows in a hurry based only on information we had from press agencies abroad and from some people who had been travelling back from Romania.”

    The Romanians who had lived for so many decades in fear and humiliation had a very important moral support in the Romanian language radio stations. Mircea Carp said that during the days of the outbreak in Timișoara, he and his station did their duty as best they could:

    “The moment when the revolution started, and we were on alert, the other radio stations and Free Europe, maybe first of all Free Europe. But, in any case, we did not effectively contribute to the start of the events of December through incendiary broadcasts, through broadcasts that would encourage the population to rise up against the regime. Maybe it would have been better, maybe it would have been worse. My point of view is that the American government, I’m talking about Voice of America or Free Europe, would in no way have allowed our radio stations to encourage an action that would lead to a bloody revolution, a revolution that would to cost human lives and destruction.”

    On December 16, 1989, 35 years ago, the book on Romania’s recent history began to be written in Timișoara.

  • The Romanian Revolution, 30 years on

    The Romanian Revolution, 30 years on

    The communist dictatorship was set
    up in Romania after the Second World War, when Soviet troops occupied Romania.
    Paradoxically, the regime that endured half a century took only one week to
    collapse. Unable to further cope with the austerity and oppression of Nicolae
    Ceausescu’s regime, living with hunger, cold and in the dark, deprived of
    elementary rights and encouraged by the cascading collapse of the Soviet
    regimes in East-European countries, it took only a spark for Romanians to take
    to the streets. On December 16, 1989, the protest staged by a dozen supporters
    of the Hungarian-born Reformed priest Laszlo Tokes, whom the authorities were
    planning to deport from Timisoara, western Romania, turned into a genuine
    rebellion.

    Protesters grew from a few hundreds to thousands, then tens of
    thousands of people of various ethnicities and confessions. The security forces
    immediately resorted to arrests. Then the army, the political police the
    Securitate as well as the militia took point, firing on the crowd of
    protesters. Factories and plants were left unmanned, while students went on
    strike to join the protesting workers. Eventually, the army withdrew to their
    barracks. On December 20, Timisoara thus became the first city in Romania free
    of communism. On the 21st, the Revolution engulfed other large cities
    in the west and center of the country, and events peaked with a massive protest
    staged in Bucharest, which the communists again tried to stifle with bloodshed.

    On December 22, Ceausescu fled by helicopter the communist party’s central
    committee, besieged by hundreds of thousands of people. Captured and subjected
    to a speedy trial, he was executed on the 25th, leaving behind a
    country in ruins and mourning. Over 1,100 people were killed over December
    16-25, mostly after Ceausescu ran away. The official version of the time was
    that these people had been killed by the so-called terrorists, people still
    loyal to the regime, whose identity is yet to be ascertained. Military
    prosecutors now investigating the Revolution Case however have pointed the
    finger at Ion Iliescu, the man commonly acknowledged to have orchestrated the
    change of regime, himself one of Ceausescu’s ministers in the 70s, and at his
    close associates as well. Prosecutors say they are responsible for creating
    this terrorist psychosis, which fueled the loss of human lives.

    The massacre
    aimed at building the legitimacy of the new Government had its desired effect.
    In May 1990 the first free elections were held after the events of ’89. Ion
    Iliescu won the election by a landslide, with over 85% of the votes, from the
    first round of election. His party, dubbed the National Salvation Front, won
    two thirds of the seats in the newly created Parliament. Prosecutors claim
    Iliescu and his acolytes formed a dissident group that sought to remove dictator
    Nicolae Ceausescu from power and to maintain Romania under Soviet influence.
    Today a member of the European Union and NATO and deeply attacked to Western
    democratic values, Romania is the living proof that the scenario of the
    pro-Moscow conspirators failed.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • The Romanian Revolution, debated in the European Parliament

    The Romanian Revolution, debated in the European Parliament


    Sunday will mark 30 years since the anticommunist revolution in Romania. On December 22, 1989, under the pressure of the hundreds of thousands of protesters, dictators Nicolae Ceausescu fled the headquarters of the communist partys Central Committee. Captured and subsequently subjected to a speedy trial, Ceausescu and his wife were executed on December 25 in a barracks in Targoviste. Romania was the only country in Eastern Europe where the toppling of the communist regime was produced with bloodshed. Shortly after the revolution broke out on December 16 in Timisoara, many people were killed, shot down by the so-called terrorists, whose identity is yet to be ascertained. On Monday evening, the European Parliament met in Strasbourg and debated the marking of 30 years since the Romanian Revolution. A European Commission declaration evokes the violence that marked the Romanian revolution and the peoples struggle to topple the oppressive communist regime. European Commissioner for Transport, Romanian Adina Valean, a member of the EPP and the National Liberal Party, read the declaration in Parliament, highlighting the need to pay homage to the Romanians sacrifice and the fact that Europe must make sure that no other member state should see such bloody events.



    “It is important to keep the memory of those events alive, to remember the extraordinary effort and loss of lives Romanians had to go through to obtain their freedom. I understand the European Parliament will pass a resolution of its own, and I think it is important that all these documents represent a testimony of the dangers of dictatorship, of populism, of attacks on the foundations of democracy. Since many European politicians from other member states are very young, its key they should always remember and act together to defend the community against events such as Romanians had to endure”.



    In turn MEP Carmen Avram told RRI more about the resolution the European Parliament is expected to pass on Thursday.



    “The document seeks to uncover the truth behind the events of 1989. 30 years have since passed and its embarrassing for us, as a country, to still not have the answers. Its inadmissible to be a 20-million-strong country and have 20 million versions of the revolution, since each of us has fabricated his own version in the absence of truth. Its important people still talk about the revolution. The resolution will be passed and I hope the situation in Romania is brought to the European fore, and at the same time Romanians should be more mindful of whats happening in their country and on the continent. Once the resolution is passed, we need to address how education on the communist regime and the revolution is done in schools, to see whether more needs doing and to step up our efforts when we talk about our recent past”.


    The revolution was also marked on Monday in a solemn session in the Romanian Parliament.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)




  • December 16-21, 2018

    December 16-21, 2018

    The Romanian Revolution – 29 years on



    29 years have passed since the 1989 anti-Communist revolution in Romania that put an end to a nightmare of many decades. On December 17, 1989 fire was opened in the western city of Timisoara on those who dared to protest against dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The anti-communist revolution also saw its first victims in Timisoara: 58 people were shot dead and several hundreds were injured. Monday was a day of mourning in Timisoara, which commemorated the victims of the 1989 revolution. Flags with black ribbons attached to them were flown at half-staff and a commemoration service was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral for the martyrs of the revolution. Also wreathe-laying ceremonies were held that were attended by revolutionaries, local officials and guests.



    “It is the duty of all the people of Timisoara to remember the young souls of the victims who craved for freedom, after a troubled night when more than 600 people were arrested. The discontented people of Timisoaras took to the streets but unfortunately the army did not understand the message of the people of Timisoara and opened fire on them in the Freedom Square.”



    On Thursday Timisoara marked Victory Day. 29 years ago, after the repression by the Communist authorities that left behind dead and wounded, workers went on strike and the people of Timisoara took to the streets in great numbers. The army withdrew to the barracks and from the balcony of the Opera House in Timisoara the people declared Timisoara the first city of Romania free of Communism. To mark this moment, siren calls were heard in downtown Timisoara at noon. The revolt extended on December 21 to Bucharest and other cities of Romania. Commemoration services were held at cemeteries and memorial crosses erected in memory of the victims. Over one thousand people died and around 3 thousand were injured in the Romanian uprising, the only country in the Eastern bloc where the change of regime was violent and the Communist leaders were executed.




    The no-confidence motion against the government failed



    The Parliament of Romania Thursday dismissed a no-confidence motion against the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and headed by Viorica Dancila. Entitled “Enough is enough! Dragnea-Dancila Cabinet, the embarrassment of Romania!”, the no-confidence vote was initiated by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, and the Peoples Movement Party. The Opposition only managed to get 161 votes out of the 233 it needed in order to dismiss the Cabinet. The initiators argued that the current Cabinet is a threat to Romanias national interests, to its economic and political stability. They also criticized the justice laws, and said the prime minister failed to comply with the governing programme undertaken at the start of her term in office.



    In turn, PM Dancila dismissed the accusations in the text of the motion, which she described as unfounded and unserious:


    “You continue to prove that you are incapable of respect for anybody, that your actions are only driven by hatred. I am strong enough to keep going.”



    In the Opposition, the leader of the Liberal Deputies Raluca Turcan argued:


    “Instead of an incompetent and obedient Prime Minister, we could have a responsible and loyal one, able to persuade the young in particular that it is worth studying in this country if you want to be part of societys elite.”




    Pension Act, endorsed by Chamber of Deputies



    The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, the decision-making body in this case, Wednesday endorsed the new Pension Law, after on Tuesday the Deputies had approved an amendment filed by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Initially dismissed by the Labour Committee, the amendment stipulates that people with severe disabilities may retire after one-third of the pension contribution period. The bill also says that a person may receive pension benefits and social security benefits on condition that they have contributed to the pension fund and social security fund for at least 15 years. Eliminating discrimination between people with the same contribution periods, granting the more advantageous benefit to a surviving spouse and the 6-year early retirement option for mothers of 3 children are other novelties introduced by the act, according to the Social Democratic Deputy Olguta Vasilescu, who initiated the bill when she was a labour minister. She explained that further to successive increases, the pension point level will reach approx. 400 euros in 2020.




    Austrias Chancellor Sebastian Kurz pays official visit to Bucharest



    The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday received the Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz whose country is currently holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council. The Austrian official has symbolically handed over to Romania the presidency of the Council which effectively starts on January 1, 2019. The two officials tackled priority topics on the European agenda such as the future of the EU, the post-2020 budget of the EU, Brexit, the elections for the European Parliament. On Wednesday at a meeting with the ambassadors of the EU states accredited to Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis stated that Romanias objective as president of the EU Council was to start as soon as possible negotiations related to the future relations between the EU and Great Britain if the Brexit deal is ratified by the British Parliament and approved by the European Parliament. President Iohannis also said that Romania supports a strong Union closer to the European citizens and able to ensure their security and prosperity.

  • December 20, 2018 UPDATE

    December 20, 2018 UPDATE

    PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania on
    Thursday rejected the second no-confidence motion filed by the opposition
    against the Government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance
    of Liberals and Democrats, and headed by Viorica Dăncila. The motion did not
    gather the necessary number of votes to pass, namely 233. Only 161 MPs cast
    their votes. The opposition claims the current Cabinet is a threat to Romania’s
    national interests, to its economic and political stability. The authors of the
    motion criticize the laws on the judiciary and claim the Prime Minister failed
    to comply with the governing programme undertaken at the start of her term. In
    reply, the PM claimed that the alternative the Opposition offers to the
    citizens is to suspend income increases and even to slash salaries and pensions.
    Viorica Dancila also defended the justice laws, emphasizing that they were
    endorsed by Parliament, rather than by an emergency decree as it was the case
    with the Ciolos Cabinet.




    STOCK EXCHANGE The Association of Capital Market
    Professionals says the prospective endorsement of a recent government decree on
    fiscal and budgetary measures is the most brutal and irrational attack against
    the Romanian capital market since its re-establishment in 1995. The Bucharest
    Stock Exchange opened on a slight increase today, but plunged back down, after
    experiencing its worst day so far on Wednesday.
    Substantial losses were reported by banks, energy and utilities companies,
    after on Tuesday the Finance Minister
    Eugen Teodorovici announced that by the end of the year a government decree
    would be passed introducing certain fiscal and budgetary measures. These
    include a so-called tax on greed charged on banking revenues, and a package
    concerning energy companies, such as a 3% of turnover contribution, a cap on
    natural gas prices and electricity price control. The business community
    in Romania warned against the negative effects of the new taxes announced by
    the Government for 2019. President Klaus Iohannis urged the Cabinet to
    reconsider the decree, to negotiate it with employers and trade unions and to
    endorse a more sustainable version after thorough analysis and review.




    EU The President of Romania, Klaus
    Iohannis, receives in Bucharest on Friday the Chancellor of Austria Sebastian
    Kurz, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
    Romania will symbolically take over the presidency of the EU Council, which it
    will hold as of January 1. The 2 officials will discuss the priorities on the
    European agenda, such as the future of the Union, the EU budget after 2020,
    Brexit, and the elections for the European Parliament. On Wednesday in a
    meeting with the EU ambassadors to Bucharest, President Klaus Iohannis said
    Romania’s goal during its presidency of the EU Council is to begin as soon as
    possible the negotiations on the future relations between the Union and
    Britain, if the withdrawal agreement is ratified by London and approved by the
    European Parliament. Iohannis also said that Romania supports a stronger
    European Union, which is closer to its citizens and able to guarantee their
    security and prosperity. He also emphasized the importance of the informal
    meeting of European leaders in Sibiu on May 9, 2019, when the EU strategic
    agenda for 2019-2024 will be discussed.




    JUDICIARY Romania’s Supreme
    Court suspended the serving of prison sentences received by several high-level
    officials under corruption charges. Among them are the former Minister of
    Regional Development, Elena Udrea, the former chief of the anti-terrorism and
    anti-mafia directorate Alina Bica, who requested asylum in Costa Rica, the
    former head of the tax authority, Serban Pop, and former Social Democratic
    ministers and MPs Dan Şova and Constantin Niţă. They have been released, until
    final rulings are passed on their appeals. The argument put forth for the
    suspension of their sentences was that the membership of the 5-judge panels
    passing the rulings had not been correct. The supreme court held drawing of
    lots sessions for the 5-judge panels 3 times this year, when the Law on the
    organisation of courts was modified, further to a Constitutional Court
    decision, at the request of the Government and following an objection by the
    Social Democratic Party president Liviu Dragnea, who is tried for corruption at
    the Bucharest Court of Appeals.




    COMMEMORATION Sirens sounded for 3
    minutes in Timisoara on Thursday, in memory of the day of December 20, 1989.
    This was the moment when, 29 years ago, Timisoara was proclaimed the first city
    free from communism in Romania. The largest plants went on strike back then,
    and workers gathered in the city centre, alongside tens of thousands of other
    locals. The Army withdrew from streets, the protesters who had been arrested
    were released, and the people’s demands were read out from the famous Opera
    House balcony. Also on December 20, the first revolutionary committee, called
    The Romanian Democratic Front, was set up. Members of the families of the
    Timisoara victims travelled to Bucharest to commemorate one of the most
    important events in modern Romanian history. They arrived at the place where
    the bodies of 44 Timisoara heroes, shot dead on December 17, were cremated. The
    uprising that started in Timisoara spread on December 21 to Bucharest and other
    Romanian cities. Over 1,000 people died and some 3,000 others were wounded in
    the shootings in Romania, the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist
    regime was toppled violently and where the communist leaders were executed.




    FOOTBALL Romania’s national
    football team will end the year on the 24th position in the ranking the
    International Football Federation (FIFA) made public on Thursday. Romania
    started the year on the 40th place. This year’s 24th
    place is the best ranking Romania’s football team has held since 2016. The
    team’s future opponents in the EURO 2020 qualifiers are Spain, in 9th
    place, Sweden – 14, Norway – 46, Faeroe – 98, and Malta – 182.


    (Translated by
    A.M. Popescu & Vlad Palcu)

  • Timisoara, 29 years on

    Timisoara, 29 years on

    29 years ago, the first victims of the repression against those who took the courage to rise up against Nicolae Ceausescu’s communist dictatorship were killed by bullets in the streets of Timisoara. On December 17, 1989, by Ceausescu’s order, fire was opened at the protesters: 58 people were killed and hundreds got injured. A day of mourning has been decreed in Timisoara on Monday, in memory of those who died for freedom, and flags are flying at half mast. A social mass has been celebrated at the Metropolitan Bishopric and flower tributes have been paid at the Crucifixion Monument.



    Masses and memorial services have been performed at the Heroes’ Cemetery and the Martyrs’ Church and, in the evening, a moment of silence will be kept and vigil candles will de placed on the steps of the Cathedral, each candle featuring the faces of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. “Immortality candles” were lit in Timisoara’s Victory Square at the weekend and a memorial concert was given by musicians. Also, scores of Timisoara residents took part in a remembrance march: with torches in their hands, they started from the Maria Square, the place where the Anti-Communist Revolution broke out 29 years ago, then crossed the Victory Square and walked to the Heroes’ Cemetery, where they kept a moment of silence.




    The march is organized every year, under the slogan “Heroes Never Die”. Although approximately 30 years have passed since the Revolution, those days are still vivid in the memory of the former fighters for freedom, the descendants of the martyr heroes and of common people in Timisoara, who chose to take part in the march this year, too, to recall the start of the street protests which led to the overthrow of the communist dictatorship.



    One of the participants has told us: “The spark was kindled in Maria Square and then it extended to the city centre. People chanted ‘Down with the dictator!’ and afterwards the whole city rose up.”



    Most of those who are attending the ceremonies in Timisoara do not hesitate to express their discontent about the fact that some of the Revolution ideals haven’t been reached until now, some 30 years after the fall of communism.



    “I am Dumitru Coliban, the representative of the Timisoara branch of the ‘16 Decembrie 89’ Association. And now, 29 years on, I regret that things haven’t unfolded for the country and for the people the way I liked it, the way WE wanted, back then, but I am confident because I know how strong this Romanian people is and I’m looking at the future with much hope.”



    “The Romanian Revolution started on December 16 and, in my opinion, just as it happens with all revolutions, it hasn’t ended yet. We wanted a decent life and unfortunately many Romanians do not lead a decent life. And what’s more, there is no respect for the spilled blood.”



    The series of commemorative events continues in the following period of time, also in Bucharest, the city where the flame of the Revolution in Timisoara propagated to, 29 years ago. (translated by D. Vijeu)

  • December 23, 2017 UPDATE

    December 23, 2017 UPDATE

    PROTESTS — Over 40 civic organisations, which are among the initiators of the street protests in Romania against the amendments to the Justice laws and the Criminal Codes have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, asking him to have together a meeting over December 27-30. The signatory organisations claim there have been major deficiencies in the dialogue and consultations between the law-maker and society, on the adoption of the Justice laws and during talks on the amendments to the Criminal Codes. On Friday, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, sent a letter to Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, urging him to call for an opinion from the Venice Commission on the legislative reforms already adopted by Parliament. Earlier, the Bucharest embassies of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden had sent a joint letter, calling on all sides involved in the process to reform the judiciary to avoid any action which might lead to the weakening of the independence of the judiciary and of the fight against corruption. In response, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said that strengthening the rule of law and boosting the fight against corruption are among the priorities set by the Government. In their turn, the leaders of the parliamentary majority, Social-Democrat Liviu Dragnea and Liberal-Democrat Calin Popescu Tariceanu have promised that the Justice and Foreign ministers, Tudorel Toader, and Teodor Melescanu, respectively, will correctly inform the embassies on the changes brought to the legislation in the field.



    COMMEMORATION — Military and religious ceremonies and floral tributes were paid on Saturday morning at the “Henri Coandă” Otopeni International Airport, near Bucharest, to commemorate the gendarmes who lost their lives during the Anti-communist Revolution 28 years ago. Doing their military service in Câmpina, southern Romania, the gendarmes were sent on December 23, 1989, to defend the airport, which was allegedly under ground and air attacks by the so-called terrorists loyal to former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In Otopeni, however, the army opened fire on them, killing 37 officers, non-commissioned officers, pupils and conscripts. Started on December 16, 1989 by the inhabitants of Timisoara, in the west, who opposed an abusive measure taken by the local authorities, the Revolution spread to the whole country and culminated on December 22, with the Ceausescu couple’s attempt to flee Bucharest. Captured by the army, he was executed on December 25, following a summary trial. Over 1,000 people died and some 3,400 got injured during the 1989 Revolution.



    JUDICIAL OVERHAUL — 2018 will also be a year with a busy legislative agenda, says the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, who is also the leader of the main ruling party, PSD, the Social Democratic Party. Dragnea says the main legislative priorities next year are the project for the creation of the Sovereign Development and Investment Fund and the administrative Code. Another important law on the agenda of the ruling coalition is the public-private partnership, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies has also added.



    CENTRAL BANK – The National Bank of Romania has announced it will issue next year new banknotes and coins featuring the country’s new coat of arms. They will circulate concurrently with the existing ones. The new coat of arms features a crowned eagle. The new banknotes and coins will be gradually introduced on the market, depending on the real needs for currency. The new banknotes will also bear the date of “January 1, 2018″, on the obverse. According to a communiqué issued by the National Bank of Romania, all the other graphic and safety elements are identical with those on the banknotes and coins which are already in circulation.



    MIGRANTS — A Syrian and a Sudanese citizen have been temporarily taken into custody for 30 days for migrant trafficking, after the Romanian border police spotted them while guiding six Iranian nationals, who illegally tried to cross the Serbian- Romanian border. According to a communiqué issued by the Border Police on Saturday, the migrants intended to reach a country in Western Europe.



    TENNIS — The world number one woman tennis player, Romanian Simona Halep, on Sunday will face Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, no.4 WTA, in the finals of the Intercontinental World Tennis Championship demonstrative tournament in Thailand. On Saturday, Halep defeated British Johanna Konta, 2-0, whereas Pliskova outperformed Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, 2-0. On Sunday, Ostapenko and Konta will fight for the third place.

  • 28 years since the December 1989 Revolution

    28 years since the December 1989 Revolution

    The violent break-up from the Communist regime, 28 years ago, and the dark spot Communism left on Romania’s destiny for more than four decades are back on the public agenda at the end of each year. Foretold by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the totalitarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe, the removal of the dictatorial couple Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu and Romania’s final divorce from communism were not easy things to do.



    Every year, the Romanian Parliament, as fundamental entity in the institutional architecture of democratic Romania, holds a solemn session in memory of the over 1,100 victims of communist repression.



    This year, the string of speeches was opened by the Social Democrat deputy Adrian Paul Radu, vice-president of the parliamentary revolutionary committee: “The unique moments that marked the Revolution started in Timisoara, which we are recalling today, are just fragments of a historical truth that we are obliged to speak of. We must teach this truth to the younger generations, a truth that cannot be forgotten, out of respect for the heroes of the Revolution”.



    The Liberal Senator Marcel Velea stated too that the Revolution heroes must be honored: “The Romanian Revolution defeated fear, beat the regime and raised a free nation. Sacrifice gave birth to democracy. We applaud the force of our nation, the courage and determination to fight for human dignity and defend our inalienable human rights.”



    Senator Vlad Alexandrescu, a member of the Save Romania Union, said that the fight for a European Romania is a homage paid to the heroes of the 1989 Revolution: “Freedom, constitutional democracy, the rule of law, an independent justice system, integrity and accountability in exercising power, these are values that we must fight for in Romania, in order to truly honour the December Revolution, our Revolution”.



    Religious ceremonies have been held these days in Bucharest and in other cities across the country and flower wreaths have been laid in University Square, the symbol of the fight against communism in Romania, and at the Revolution’s Heroes Cemetery.



    Here is what one of the participants told the Radio Romania correspondent: “I lost my son, aged 19 and a half, and the pain will never fade away. They started something, which we have failed to carry on.”



    Similar events have been held at the public radio and TV headquarters, the two institutions that played a major role in December 1989.(Edited by D. Vijeu)

  • December 20, 2017 UPDATE

    December 20, 2017 UPDATE

    BUDGET – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said the 2018 draft state budget includes some debatable points. The head of state said he had held talks with PM Mihai Tudose, before the latter made public the draft budget and that they didnt have divergent opinions on the sums of money earmarked for Army and infrastructure. Meanwhile, debates continue in the Parliament of Romania on the 2018 draft budget. After heated talks, MPs approved on Tuesday the funding for 2 ministries and another 7 public institutions, in the amounts proposed by the specialised committees. Romanias state budget for 2018 is based on an expected 5.5% economic growth rate, an exchange rate of 4.55 lei for the euro, average monthly salaries of 565 euros and a budget deficit accounting for 2.97% of the GDP. The main priorities for next year are public healthcare, education and infrastructure. The right-wing opposition has criticised the draft budget, which they view as risky and likely to increase public debt.



    JUDICIAL OVERHAUL– The Romanian Senate, as a decision making body, on Wednesday adopted the draft law which changes judicial organisation. The draft on the functioning of the Higher Council of the Magistracy will be voted upon on Thursday, after a first debate, by articles, was held on Wednesday. On Monday, the Senate adopted, also as a decision making body, the law on the Statute of judges and prosecutors. The changes that the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats intends to operate on the justice laws are strongly criticised by civil society and the opposition. Hundreds of magistrates gathered in front of courts of justice around Romania, to protest what they see as a less than transparent process. It is for the first time in recent years that magistrates choose this way to express their disagreement with measures taken by the legislative.



    ANNIVERSARY – The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies will organise on Thursday a solemn session devoted to the 28th anniversary of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, which led to the fall of communism. Timişoara, in western Romania, on Wednesday marked the moment when it proclaimed itself the first Romanian city free from communism. On that day workers went on strike, the Army withdrew to their units and the anti-communist protesters were waiting for other cities to join in the movement. Sparked by the locals opposition to an abusive measure by local authorities, the Revolution spread across the country, culminating on December 22 with the dictators Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu attempting to flee the capital city. Between December 16 and 25, 1989, more than 1,000 people were killed and nearly 3,400 were wounded. According to the Military Prosecutors Office, the main cause of most of the deaths, injuries and damages was a military diversion orchestrated on the evening of December 22, 1989.



    PROTESTS – Romanian police workers on Wednesday protested in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters against the under-funding of the system, and are demanding the resignation of Interior Minister, Carmen Dan. They also complain about the poor logistics and the disastrous state of some police units, as well as the personnel shortage, reaching around 20,000 employees. The Interior Ministry issued a news release, stating that it would take note of the police workers complaints.



    TRANSPORT – Thousands of road carriers on Wednesday took to the streets to demand the implementation of the legislative changes promised by Transport Minister Felix Stroe. The respective changes would enable the authorities to fight unauthorised and unlicensed operators such as taxi and rent-a-car companies and providers of occasional or regular rides. On Tuesday the Bucharest City Hall announced measures to eliminate piracy and unauthorised transport companies, but the Confederation of Authorised Operators and Carriers announced protests will continue because the rest of the country is still affected by piracy and unfair competition. In related news, the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is a transport services company, requiring it to accept stricter regulation and licensing within the EU as a taxi operator. Romania, where Uber has been operating for 3 years, is the companys fifth-largest market in the EU.



    POLAND – The European Commission on Wednesday decided, for the first time in the history of the community bloc to launch, against Poland, the procedure which activates article 7 of the EU Treaty, under which “the European Council, acting by a qualified majority, may decide to suspend certain of the rights deriving from the application of the Treaties to the Member State in question, including the voting rights of the representative of the government of that Member State in the Council. According to the Commission, there is a clear risk of a serious breach of the rule of law in Poland, after the Legislature in Warsaw adopted two laws under which it enhances the control of the executive power over the judiciary. The First Vice-President of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, has said that was the only option left for the EC and he added that Poland has three months available to implement the recommendations made by the EC. According to a communiqué issued by the Polish Foreign Ministry, Poland has received with regret the political and not the juridical decision made by the EC. This decision bears on the relations between the EC and Poland, and might render difficult the effort of building confidence and mutual understanding between Warsaw and Brussels, the communiqués also reads. (Translated by D. Vijeu and AM Popescu)

  • The 1989 Revolution case file

    The 1989 Revolution case file

    December 16th marks, at least
    symbolically, the start of the fall, in 1989, of the Communist regime in
    Romania. Citizens of Timisoara, in western Romania, decided to stand against
    the totalitarian regime led by the dictatorial couple Nicolae and Elena
    Ceausescu, no matter the consequences.




    Having begun as an extremely brave way of challenging
    an abusive measure taken by the local authorities, people’s discontent turned
    into a rebellion against the system, and in turn triggered clashes and
    sacrifices. On December 20th, Timisoara declared itself the first
    Romanian city free of Communism. The protests spread fast all across the
    country, culminating on December 22nd with the Ceausescus’ attempt
    to flee, on board a helicopter, from the roof of the Communist Party’s
    headquarters. Terrible days followed, particularly in the capital, but also
    across the country, until the 25th of December. In all, more than
    1,000 people died and some 3,400 were wounded between the 16th and
    the 25th of December 1989. Romania thus became the only country in
    the Eastern Bloc where the fall of the regime was a violent one and where the
    leaders, Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, were executed by a firing squad.




    Who shot at us on the 21st and the 22nd?
    was the question that turned into the leitmotif of the Romanians who either
    fought for freedom in 1989, with the risk of losing their lives, or lost
    friends and family back then. Exposing those accountable for the massacre would
    provide the much-awaited answer. The Revolution Case File was first classified,
    then reopened last year. Army prosecutors are trying to find an answer to this
    question, remained unresolved for 28 years, and the truth is starting to come
    to light. A Bucharest daily has dubbed as historic breaking news the
    investigators’ conclusion, made public early this week. Here is the army
    prosecutor Marian Lazar:




    We have established the membership of the
    political-military command unit that took over full power in Romania, shortly
    after the president’s flight. The conclusion is, without any shred of doubt,
    that there was no power vacuum in Romania in December 1989. The evidence
    presented so far has revealed that the military diversion which started on
    December 22nd was the main cause of the many deaths, injuries and
    damages reported then. Investigations have revealed the mechanisms used to
    constantly misinform the population, launched with the help of the national
    television, national radio and the army’s communication channels, which led to
    the installation, all across the country, of the well-known terrorist
    psychosis.




    Investigators have also announced that the source of
    the panic sound heard during Nicolae Ceausescu’s public speech on December 21st
    has been identified. That sound, alongside other elements, contributed to the
    start of protests in Bucharest. Also, the investigation has found that, until
    their execution by firing squad, there had been three attempts to kill Nicolae
    and Elena Ceausescu.

  • The Romanian Revolution of 1989

    The Romanian Revolution of 1989

    The Chamber of Deputies has scheduled a special meeting to mark the 27th anniversary of the anti-communist Revolution and religious services were held in places where people died. One such place is Bucharest, at the Memorial honouring the heroes of the Revolution, at the Romanian Television and the Radio Broadcasting Corporation.



    The date of December 22nd 1989 has often been described as “the day of triumph”. This triumph was paid for, however, in blood, as hundreds of people died on that day. The spark of the Revolution was ignited in Timisioara, in the west, the first city to have the courage to defy the communist regime and proclaim its freedom on the 21st of December 1989.



    After a failed attempt to win the support of groups of workers brought to the centre of Bucharest and after a turbulent previous night when the army, the police and the secret services killed 50 revolutionaries in the streets, dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was forced to flee the capital city under pressure from the crowds that had gathered in front of the headquarters of the Communist Party Central Committee.



    The dissolution of the system’s power structures, the fraternisation of the army with the population, the arrest of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu and the occupation of the headquarters of the public radio and television stations by the protesters were important factors that led to the start of the process of transformation of Romanian society.



    A newly created Provisional National Salvation Front Council called for abandoning the political dominance of a single party and the introduction of pluralist democracy, holding free elections the next April, the separation of state powers, drafting a new Constitution, promoting free economic initiative, supporting small farmers’ production, making the education and culture democratic, respecting the rights and freedoms of ethnic minorities, fully respecting human rights and liberties and contributing to efforts to create a united Europe.



    The triumph of December 22nd was overshadowed by diversionist forces loyal to the communist regime who opened fire on protesters in Bucharest, killing more than 500 people, both military and civilians.



    This is how eyewitnesses describe the events that day:


    “I can still relive those moments when I close my eyes. People shot in the head, dragged by their arms”.



    “All these 27 years, I have not been able to forget the images of the pools of blood near Coltea [in central Bucharest], they are imprinted on my memory and I will never forget them, just as I will never forget the moment when we shouted ‘Freedom!’ for the first time, here, in this square, a freedom Romanians only truly tasted after Christmas, following the trial and execution of the dictators Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu.” (Translated by Cristina Mateescu)


  • December 23, 2015 UPDATE

    December 23, 2015 UPDATE

    COMMEMORATION– Events marking 26 years since the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989 continued across Romania on Wednesday. Military and religious services were held to commemorate the soldiers who died in the line of duty to defend Romania’s largest airport, Otopeni, in the north of Bucharest. On December 23, 1989, 40 soldiers, mostly draftees, sent to beef up the troops guarding the airport, were mistakenly killed by the very troops they were supposed to back up. Following an inquiry that dragged on for years, the ground troop commanders involved in the incident have been given jail sentences. The Otopeni massacre, whose causes still remain unknown, is believed to be the bloodiest event in the 1989 Revolution in Bucharest.



    INSOLVENCY LAW– The Romanian government on Wednesday decided to postpone, until December 31, 2016, the implementation of the provisions stipulated in the Law on the insolvency of natural persons. The one-year postponement of the law’s enforcement has been decided by the cabinet in the context in which part of the implementation mechanism is not ready yet and the methodological implementation norms have not been adopted. The law, which was approved by Parliament in May and should have taken effect on December 26, was drafted with the declared aim of supporting indebted Romanians to redress financially. The law on insolvency procedures for natural persons stipulates that any citizen who can no longer pay his or her debts, for objective reasons, stands the opportunity to space out his or her debts, based on a financial redressing plan, spanning a five year period.



    SPECIAL PENSIONS LAW — Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Wednesday promulgated the law on special pensions for MPs. The bill was adopted in June, but it was sent back to Parliament for revision, by Klaus Iohannis. The law stipulates that MPs will benefit from this pension only if they have entirely completed at least one mandate. Deputies and Senators who have received final rulings for corruption, during their tenure, will not benefit from such pensions. The pension is calculated in accordance with the number of complete mandates, but no more than three. Consequently, an MP with one mandate will receive a monthly pension of 342 Euros, an MP with two mandates 685 Euros, and an MP with three mandates 1,017 Euros.



    CHISHINAU– The Prime Minister designate of the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population, Ion Sturza, continues consultations with the parliamentary parties, with a view to forming a new government, at the end of a year during which three prime ministers have been replaced. After a first round of talks, the Liberal-Democrats have announced they will support the candidacy of Ion Sturza for the position of prime minister. However, in the current political context, he stands slim chances to be accepted as head of government, pundits say, after the Democratic Party and its 14 MPs who on Monday left the Communists’ Party said they would not support a cabinet led by Ion Sturza. Socialists will not vote for the cabinet, either, as they call for holding early elections. A well-known businessman, Ion Sturza says he wants to form a technocratic cabinet and has 14 days available to convince Parliament to offer it a vote of investiture.



    AWARDS– Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Wednesday awarded the Romanian national women’s handball team for the good results it got at the World Championship in Denmark. He thanked the Romanian handball players for what they have done for Romania, saying their good results brought immense joy to the Romanians. The Romanian national women’s handball team on Sunday won the bronze medal of the World Championship in Denmark. Romania defeated Poland and thus got the first bronze medal in the last 10 years and the first bronze medal in the history of Romanian handball. In the competition played in Denmark, Cristina Neagu has been declared best left back and the most valuable player of the tournament. Romania is the only team to have participated in all editions of the World Championship since 1957, winning a gold medal (1962) and two silver medals in 1973 and 2005, respectively.


    (Translated by: Diana Vijeu)

  • Romanian Democracy Reborn

    Romanian Democracy Reborn

    In March 1945, the Petru Groza government, controlled by the Communist Party was installed to power, under Soviet pressure. Before 1989, the communist regime considered this its founding moment. In reality, the Groza government wiped out democracy in Romania for almost half a century.



    The communist ideology tried to inoculate in people’s minds a way of seeing the world from the perspective of the state, one built on Marxist-Leninist ideology. The state controlled everything, from the economy to people’s spare time, and meddled in everything. The communist state meant the atrophy of freethinking and free will, and an encouragement of hatred and intolerance.



    The beginning of the anti-communist protests in Timisoara on 16 December 1989 was something most Romanians eagerly awaited. Historians and political scientists said that 1989 was a return to democracy, which regular people saw as a restoration of basic human needs. Politics also returned in the proper sense, that of allowing the citizen to express himself in the public sphere. On December 22, 1989, when a helicopter flew Nicolae Ceausescu off the roof of the Central Committee building, freedom ensued. The days that followed were euphoric, but soon people had to grapple with a new reality. Quite soon after, however, the euphoria was replaced by a negative attitude, of profound frustration and a sense of helplessness, since things were not changing as fast as people would have wished. Triumph was replaced by cynicism and nostalgia.



    Political scientist Ioan Stanomir believes that the date of December 22, 1989, has all the features of a founding moment: “December 22 is indisputably the final point of the communist interval. We should emphasize this fact because some politicians, after December 1989, tried to minimize the anti-communist dimension of popular protests that led to the fall of the Ceausescu regime. I insist on this dimension. It was not just about removing a dictator who dishonored this country, but also about affirming some values that, though not precisely defined, represented the wish to remove the communist regime with its entire retinue of material privations and dramatic political constraints on freedom.”



    Romanian democracy recovered with great difficulty, and there have been some milestones, which were more like hurdles in the beginning. The first was the communist heritage and its role in the new society. This heritage was the economic reform that brought about downsizing, closing down industrial units and financial insecurity. The second was the return to “Romania of before 1945” and the critical look on the democratic heritage from a half century before. The third, and not last, was the feeling that the young people who sacrificed their lives died in vain in the revolution. In spite of the wish to break with the recent past, people started feeling that democracy was a burden. Shedding the scales of communism proved to be a lengthy process, which few understood at the time. It was a painful process of telling public right from wrong, looking to the past versus looking to the future.



    Ioan Stanomir: “December 22 is like the Roman god Janus, an event with two faces. On the one hand it is a celebration of freedom, on the other it is the moment when the adventure of the so-called terrorists begins. If it hadn’t been for the so-called terrorists and if there hadn’t been all the deaths that occurred under circumstances as yet still muddled, December 22 would have had a different outcome. One should not forget that there is a cemetery of the Heroes of the Revolution, and that the people buried there are, to a great extent, the result of the action of the mysterious terrorists after 22 December 1989.”



    Romanian democracy was reborn, and plurality of opinion was a sign of society getting nursed back to health. One rebirth was undergone by the historical parties removed by the communist regime, people were free to propose ideas and then take action. Their voices were listened to more and more, and the behavior of politicians started adapting to the wishes of voters.



    Ioan Stanomir: “December 22, 1989 was truly a moment of fraternity, followed quickly by a moment of break down of unity. Romania’s citizens became divided, and the factors that divided them were Ion Iliescu and the National Salvation Front, which appropriated, in a partisan manner, December 22 and took over its heritage on behalf of a state-party. It was the beginning of the end for this dream, this illusion of fraternity. December 22 became just as another day, what followed was, in historical sequence, the tragedy of the terrorists, the month of January 1990 with protests from democratic parties and their violent repression, February 1990, March 1990 and the incidents in Targu Mures, University Square, and finally the miner raids of June 1990.”



    On December 22, 1989, Romania knew what it had to do after ridding itself of the most detestable form of tyranny in its history. Liberal democracy was back, and, with all its shortcomings, it was still the best political system, one for which over 1,000 Romanians gave their lives.


    (Translated by Calin Cotoiu; Edited by Diana Vijeu)

  • 16 December, 2015

    16 December, 2015

    A strong Romania is more than an aspiration, it
    is a national project we are already building, the Romanian president Klaus
    Iohannis told Parliament today, one year after taking office. He said 2015 has
    shown that a wide consensus on public issues could be achieved, citing the 2016
    budget and the political agreement on boosting defence spending to 2% of the
    GDP by 2017. The country’s new defence strategy, which for the first time
    included aspects related to education, healthcare, the preservation of national
    identity and the protection of the country’s heritage also enjoyed a large
    majority. Speaking about Romania’s foreign policy, Iohannis said its priorities
    in 2015 were the consolidation of the partnership with the US and of the
    strategic alliances with France, Poland, Germany, Spain, Britain and Turkey, as
    well strengthening ties with neighbouring states such as Ukraine, Serbia and
    Bulgaria. A privileged relationship with the majority Romanian-speaking
    Republic of Moldova has been and will remain a constant feature of Romania’s
    foreign policy, Klaus Iohannis also told Parliament.




    The
    two houses of Romania’s Parliament today passed the state budget for 2016 with
    309 yes and 13 no votes. Parliament finalised debates on next year’s budget on
    Tuesday without making any significant amendments to the version proposed by
    the government. Education, healthcare and research will generally be allocated
    more money. Government spending on state pensions will amount to more than 10
    billion euros, which accounts for almost 7% of the GDP. 4.7 pensioners will
    benefit from a pension increase as of January 1st.




    An
    anti-communist uprising that led to the toppling of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu
    began on December 16th, 1989 in the western city of Timisoara. To
    commemorate the people who died 26 years ago, associations of revolutionaries
    and local authorities are holding a series of events and ceremonies. The
    protests in Timisoara quickly spread across the country, leading to the ousting
    of Nicolae Ceausescu on December 22nd. More than 1,000 people died
    and around 3,400 were wounded between 16th and 25th
    December 1989. Romania was the only country in the former eastern bloc where
    regime change was accompanied by bloodshed and where the deposed communist
    leaders were executed.




    The
    Romanian government today issued an emergency order to suspend the application
    of several articles of the hunting law. The decision follows yesterday’s angry protests
    by thousands of shepherds over provisions of the law that ban grazing from
    December to April and restrict the number of sheepdogs that can guard the
    sheep.




    Romanian
    deputies on Tuesday passed a bill banning smoking in all enclosed public
    spaces. Smoking will be permitted, however, in certain designated rooms
    equipped with fire extinguishers and ventilation systems. Harsh penalties are
    stipulated for infringements of the law. Apart from financial penalties,
    companies also face suspension and even closure. The smoke-free bill will be
    sent to the president to be signed into law and will be enforced within 45 days
    of publication in the Official Gazette, most likely in February next year.




    Romania face host country Denmark today in the
    quarterfinals of the Women’s World Handball Championship. They need to finish
    the tournament in the top seven to qualify for the Olympic test events in Rio
    in 2016. Romania are the only country to have taken part in every edition of
    the World Championship since 1957, winning three medals in the process: gold in
    1962 and silver in 1973 and again in 2005.

    (Translated by: C. Mateescu)

  • The Ceausescu Regime and the Uprising Against It

    The Ceausescu Regime and the Uprising Against It

    Of all the communist countries in Europe to undergo regime change in 1989, Romania was the only one where blood was spilled in the process. Commentators say Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime was the most likely to use violence against its own people if need be, as shown by the brutal repression of the workers’ demonstrations in Brasov in November 1987. Unfortunately, the situation was even worse in December 1989. We asked historian Ioan Scurtu, a former director of the Institute of the Romanian Revolution, if the bloodshed of December 1989 could have been avoided considering the nature of Ceausescu’s regime:



    Ioan Scurtu: “In theory, it could. However, if we look at what distinguished Ceausescu from the leaders of Europe’s other socialist countries, we realise he was in fact the only one who rejected Gorbachev’s ideas about Glasnost and Perestroika because he believed they undermined socialism and eventually lead to its downfall. As a result, after 1987, Ceausescu became one of the most rigid political leaders in central and south-eastern Europe, clinging to the ideals of Marx, Engels and Lenin and refusing to accept that societies had evolved and that new times called for new ways of consolidating socialism and communism.”



    In the opinion of historian Ioan Scurtu, the obsession with Romania’s complete independence was another characteristic of the Ceausescu regime:



    Ioan Scurtu: “Ceausescu was the only leader who insisted that his country was to pay back all its foreign debt, saying this was the only means by which it could achieve its economic as well as political independence. This led to massive exports of goods, from industrial to food products, which caused a severe food crisis. The food for the population thus started to be rationed, for the first time in a long while.”



    A prisoner of Marxist clichés about the economy, Nicolae Ceausescu initiated disastrous policies, the burden of which was too heavy for the people:



    Ioan Scurtu: “A third characteristic feature of the Ceausescu regime was the strong development of the petrochemical industry which was a huge energy consumer. Ceausescu thus decided to save energy at the expense of the people, by cutting their heating and electricity, with serious consequences. This generated a general state of discontent, especially after April 1989 when Romania announced it had paid back its entire foreign debt. Having achieved this, Ceausescu wanted Romania to become a lender itself and benefit from the interest on the loans given to other states. In a nutshell, Romania was in a far more vulnerable position than all the other socialist countries, so people were extremely unhappy. This is what prompted millions of people to take to the streets in December 1989 and demand that Ceausescu be removed from power.”



    We asked historian Ioan Scurtu why there was no reformist voice within the Romanian Communist Party to call for Ceausescu’s removal and ensure a peaceful regime change:



    Ioan Scurtu: “Ceausescu was a shrewd man and in a short period of time, in only 6 or 7 years, he managed to rid himself of any potential rivals to the leadership of the party and the country. He promoted instead people who were entirely devoted to him and who didn’t have any backbone. In his memoirs, Dumitru Popescu, who used to be a member of the Executive Political Committee of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, recalled that Nicolae Ceausescu was always the only one speaking during the committee’s meeting, while everybody else sat and listened. He remembered getting terrible headaches during those meetings and having to walk all the way home in a luxury Bucharest district to calm down afterwards. In my opinion, this man never realised that his position also implied some responsibility, so if Ceausescu was doing all the talking while everybody else listened, this is also because the others accepted a situation that I think is humiliating. The most shocking moment was when Ceausescu, outraged that no drastic measures were being taken against protesters in Timisoara in December 1989, said he could no longer work with the Executive Political Committee and told its members to choose another leader. Everybody then just asked him not to leave the committee and assured him of their loyalty. So not even in the 24th hour did anybody have the courage to oppose him and say: ‘ok, we’ll take note of your resignation and tell the people Nicolae Ceausescu has stepped down.’ Perhaps things would have been different and all the bloodshed could have been avoided. The opportunism of these people played a very important role in the dramatic events that followed.”



    Nicolae Ceausescu’s regime did fall in the end, but for this to happen, 1,204 Romanians had to die.