Romania marks 22 years since the anti-communist revolution

Romania is commemorating these days 22 years since the anti-communist Revolution in 1989, an event which turned around the country’s contemporary history.

Unlike the anti-communist revolution in the neighboring countries, in Romania the event was blood-stained, leaving a trail of more than 1,200 dead and 3,400 wounded in its wake. The reason for the blood shed was also because the two dictators, Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, had been ruling the country with an iron hand for decades, subjecting the population to psychological abuse, poverty and lack of essential human liberties.

However, the two spouses became themselves victims of the revolution, as they were captured and eventually executed.

The first sparks of the revolution start on December 16 in Timisoara, when priest Laszlo Tokes is about to be moved to another parish by the authorities, which triggers opposition from members of his parish. These are joined by several hundred other people, turning into a demonstration. Ceausescu orders that the demonstration be suppressed at any cost and the army opens fire on civilians.

News about the events spreads to other cities such as Arad, Oradea, Cluj, Targu Mures, Sibiu, Brasov, Resita, Caransebes and Cugir, where the population sides with the protesters. News about this also arrives in Bucharest, and the crowds flood the street, opposing the bullets and tanks that came from Ceausescu’s troops.

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However, two factors seal the fate of the dictators and turn the tables around to the advantage of the population. One decisive factor is that the army starts to side with the protesters. Also, the revolutionaries take over the national television channel. On December 22, the dictatorial couple flees Bucharest by helicopter.

However, the events from December 22 until December 31 were full of confusion and diversion tactics.

Statistics show that the most severe death toll took place after the Ceausescus’ flight, which raised questions as to who was behind the repression. On December 25, the Ceausescu spouses were executed following a speedy suspicious trial.

It is believed that this was the time when the revolution was turned around, after the formation of the National Salvation Front, headed by Ion Iliescu, in fact a member of the communist party who appointed as minister of defense Nicolae Militaru, who was also part of the former communist regime.

Ion Iliescu went on to become the president of Romania, serving two terms. To this day, most of the artisans of the crimes that took place during the anti-communist revolution have not been exposed or put on trial. On the contrary, many infiltrated themselves in the political and cultural fabric of Romania and went on to fill important positions in various domains.
Otilia Haraga