The anti – Communist uprising in Romania
On December 20th 1989 Timişoara became the first city in Romania free of Communism.
Mihai Pelin, 20.12.2016, 14:04
It is 27 years since Romanians won their freedom in the street, giving their lives to remove the illegal totalitarian and criminal regime instated after the war. In December 1989, over 1,000 people died and at least 3,000 were wounded in Romania.
The uprising started in Timişoara (western Romania), where a spontaneous protest broke out in response to the Communist regime’s attempt to evacuate reformed pastor Laszlo Tokes, as he had leveled criticism against the regime in the international press.
As usual for those times, the pastor’s criticism was interpreted as instigation to ethnic division. People gathered around the pastor’s house following the Communist authorities’ action, which they saw as another attempt to limit their religious freedom. On December 17th the protest extended to the center of the city, which became the scene of the anti-Communist slogans and chants that were inconceivable at the epoch.
Faced with an unprecedented situation, the authorities ordered the army to go to the streets that were already teeming with the omnipresent informers of the then political police, the Securitate. The army intervened brutally and tens of people were killed. In order to completely remove any trace of the violent repression, the bodies were taken from the hospital morgue and sent to Bucharest where they were cremated and their ashes thrown into a storm drain as part of “Rose” operation.
Nevertheless, protests continued until December 20 when the army fraternized with the protesters and withdrew to their barracks, the people arrested were freed and from the balcony of the Opera House in Timişoara the protesters declared Timişoara the first city “free of Communism”. The following day, the anti-Communist uprising extended to Bucharest and culminated on December 22nd with the fleeing of the dictatorial couple. Later the two dictators were caught and killed right on Christmas day after a superficial trial. 27 years on after those events Romanians are still waiting for answers about who opened fire on the anti-communist protesters.
Initially classified, the Revolution File was re-opened this year after judges became aware of the superficial investigation conducted in the case. Military prosecutors announced the extension of prosecution in rem, the main charge in the case being crimes against humanity. According to magistrates, the new political and military power instated after 1989 ordered the killing and deprivation of freedom of many people in order to keep power. Through misinformation and manipulation the then leaders created the illusion of a civil war, the magistrates say. The division of the Army, the dissemination of false orders and information that eventually led to fighting between the army and the militia or between units of the army, was meant, according to prosecutors, to allow the new leaders to take over power and be legitimized.
