Klaus Iohannis on the 28th anniversary of the 1989 Revolution: we’ve waited too long for the truth to come out

Anca Alexe 21/12/2017 | 10:12

December 21 marks the 28^th anniversary of the Romanian Revolution, and Klaus Iohannis wrote a message on Facebook in honour of the people who fought and died for democracy in 1989.

Klaus Iohannis posted: “28 years after the Romanian Revolution, my thoughts go to the Romanians who opposed dictatorship in the street and fought for freedom and democracy. They are the heroes who, through their sacrifice and courage, made possible the freeing miracle that will forever remain in the history books. We’ve waited too long for the truth to come out. The investigations in the Revolution File need to be finalised, and the crimes and abuses of December 1989 need to be prosecuted so that the victims can finally get justice. In 1989, Romanians demanded ‘down with communism’ in the streets. Today, we are hearing the same demand. It is a determined signal given to those politicians who are proving during these days that they don’t want to let go of habits of the past. Defending the ideals of the Romanian Revolutions means defending the institutions that uphold the rule of law, defending the values of freedom and democracy, and showing respect for citizens”.

In his message, Iohannis is referencing the new evidence recently revealed by military prosecutors investigating the 1989 Revolution claiming that there was no power vacuum after Ceausescu’s outing, casting doubts on the idea that the revolution was something that happened organically since it is suggested that the events were at least partly premeditated by a well-established structure which came to power immediately after.