The fall of Communism

The Romanian revolution and the price of freedom

Politics

29.09.2009

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20 years since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc

The overthrow of the Ceausescu regime in Romania came at a heavy price. Deep scars were left by the violence in which 1,104 Romanians lost their lives and 3,352 were wounded. Twenty years on from December 1989, the investigation into who bears responsibility for these deaths is still continuing.

The December uprising

Demonstrators on the streets of Bucharest, December 1989

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In Timisoara, on 15 December 1989, dozens of protesters began a vigil outside house of dissident priest Laszlo Tokes to prevent his forced eviction. The next day this group swelled to a crowd of thousands and tens of thousands of people, who began chanting anti-Ceausescu and anti-Communist slogans.

On 17 December the army fired on the demonstrators, killing dozens of Timisoara’s citizens. Mass protests quickly spread to other Romanian cities, including Bucharest, where more lives were lost as on 21 December an attempt by Ceausescu to address a large rally descended into chaos and violence.

Of the 275 victims buried in the cemetery of the Revolution Heroes in Bucharest, 202 are under 40 years old. For that reason, the revolution is often referred to as the “youth revolution”. In addition to those who died in Timisoara and Bucharest, the revolution also claimed lives in Arad, Sibiu, Cluj, Brasov, Iasi and dozens of other cities. This was the price Romania paid to rid itself of the Ceausescu regime.

Ongoing investigations

Euranet’s Steliu Lambru spoke to military prosecutor Dan Voinea, who as well as acting as prosecutor at the Ceausescus’ trial, has spent years heading the investigation into the deaths of the victims of the revolution.

Mr Voinea explained how the revolution grew from the demonstrations in Timisoara:

“As we know, in Timisoara, the uprising started on 17 December 1989, turning into an anti-Communist revolution, because the Communist regime had become unbearable. We can’t say that there was a leader of the protests in Timisoara: People took to the streets, as happened in the other cities around the country. The wind of change was blowing in the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. However, in Romania, that moment was stained by blood. Unfortunately there were lots of victims, the first coming in Timisoara.”

Prosecutor Voinea stressed that his investigation is focusing on who was behind the orders for the disproportionate use of force used to put down these peaceful demonstrations.

While he sees Ceausescu as ultimately responsible for the deaths in December 1989, as it was he who ordered that the army open fire on the protestors in Timisoara, Mr Voinea believes the members of the executive committee who approved the order and the generals who agreed to implement it also have blood on their hands.

“These were peaceful rallies, the protesters were unarmed. The crackdown was tough, tanks and light armoured vehicles forced their way through the demonstrators and opened fire on them. We do not blame the institutions, like the army. In the army it was Ceausescu’s generals who led the crackdown.”

“Members of the Romanian Communist Party Executive Political Committee who agreed to Ceausescu’s order to use of force against the protesters were tried for this. Those who implemented the crackdown were the Defence Ministry, Interior Ministry and State Security heads. Some of them were brought to court with Executive Political Committee members. Others, like General Victor Stanculescu and General Mihai Chitac are currently on trial at the Supreme Court of Appeal and Justice. Once these cases are finished, others will also be tried for that crackdown.”