The Justice system and the Communist past

Romanian prosecutors have charged a Communist-era prison chief with genocide, the first such case in 23 years.

Corina Cristea, 04.09.2013, 13:31

Almost a quarter of a century after former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were convicted of genocide, Romanian prosecutors are again leveling this accusation, this time against a commander of the Ramnicu Sarat prison in the Communist period, Alexandru Visinescu. Now aged 88, Visinescu is charged for beating and torturing political prisoners, whom he deprived of food and medical assistance.

The extermination policy these detainees were subjected to led to the death of many of them. Alexandru Visinescu is only one of the 35 criminals identified by the Bucharest-based Institute for the Investigation of Communist-era Crimes. The prosecutors’ decision to charge Visinescu with genocide and declare his deed indefeasible is a historic one. Executive head of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist-era Crimes, Andrei Moraru:

Andrei Moraru: “This is the first time a former chief in the Communist penitentiary system is facing such charges. This is great news for the victims of the communist regime. For those who committed crimes during Communism and whom we have identified as such, this decision does nothing but confirm that we are on the right track and that we will soon speed up these investigations.”

For the communist regime’s victims and their families, Visinescu’s prosecution is seen as an act of justice. According to historian Stelian Tanase, this decision could contribute to the society’s acceptance of its communist past.

Stelian Tanase: “The Visinescu trial has a symbolic value because it will submit to a harsh and painful debate the Romanian past as it was until 1989. The Romanian society has never discussed such topics before. Only several informers and stooges have been punished so far, but only by being exposed to public criticism. We have to get to the heavyweights of the Communist system. The commander of the Ranmicu Sarat prison is a very important ‘figure’ of the Romanian gulag. The prison in Ramnicu Sarat was not just like any other prison. It was the place where survivors of penitentiaries in Sighet and Aiud were detained, all of them political prisoners and special cases.”

In about two weeks the Institute for the Investigation of Communist-era Crimes will make public the second name on the list of Communist-era torturers.