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President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday sent a message on the occasion of the Victory Day of the Romanian Revolution and Freedom, in which he says that 33 years after that moment, the life of Romanians is completely different, emphasising, however, that the failure to carry out the act of justice regarding the crimes that took place then remains "a critical point of our society".
"December 1989 represents the moment that definitively changed the course of Romania. Through the faith and will of the Romanians who no longer endured the humiliations of the communist regime, our country irreversibly headed towards democracy, a path we have undertaken for almost three and a half decades. (...) the sacrifice of the heroes who freed us from the tyranny of communism will forever remain in our national memory. The noblest way we can honour those who gave their lives so that we can be free is to protect democracy and the rule of law and to reject any form of extremism and populism," the head of state says in the message.
Iohannis says that, 33 years after the anti-communist revolution, the life of Romanians is completely different.
"Citizens enjoy rights and freedoms that, before December 1989, represented only aspirations that seemed rather impossible to achieve. Today, Romania is a democratic state, deeply attached to Euro-Atlantic values and a reliable partner for our allies, a proven fact constantly recognised. As a member of the European Union and NATO, Romania continues to consolidate its democracy and, through the efforts of the authorities and the support received from the structures of which it is a part, to develop and reduce the gaps generated by the communist regime and eliminate its unfortunate consequences," says President Iohannis.
The head of state points out that, although we are living in difficult times, in which the entire European continent is suffering because of the consequences of the war on our borders, it is inconceivable that the generations who had the chance not to know the horrors of totalitarianism should fall prey to the nostalgic communist discourse. He indicates that, against the backdrop of the instability of the last period, the economic difficulties, the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the populist discourse tries to question the values of the present, told Agerpres.
"Such dangerous visions affect us all and can gain ground amid current challenges. After 33 years since the overthrow of communism, we must categorically reject the distortion of the truth about our recent past and the evocation of feelings of nostalgia related to this period," says Iohannis.
President Iohannis points out that the young generations have the mission of watching over the continuation of the country's democratic course.
"The communist regime was a criminal, repressive and abusive one! Under the dictatorship, Romanians lived in terror, in the cold and in the dark in a prison society, isolated from the rest of Europe and the world, deprived of rights and freedoms. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of our country perished in prisons, hundreds of thousands more sought freedom in exile, risking their lives and exposing their families to the harshest consequences. The young generations have the mission of watching over the continuation of the democratic course of the country, aware that our rights were acquired with difficulty in 1989, through the sacrifice of Romanians driven by extraordinary courage, who stood up against the dictatorship, facing blows and bullets," says Iohannis.
The head of state stresses that "the failure to carry out the act of justice regarding the crimes that took place during the Revolution of December 1989 remains a critical point of our society".
"The fact that even up to this moment Justice has not identified and sanctioned the culprits for the crimes committed during the Revolution does nothing but maintain feelings of pain and frustration. In the absence of justice, the massacres committed against the civilian population will remain wounds that will never heal," says Iohannis.
The head of state reiterates the firm commitment regarding the correct assumption of the past and the promotion of democratic values and the rule of law.
"We bow to the sacrifice of our forerunners and keep their memory alive, valuing and protecting the values for which they sacrificed in December 1989," President Iohannis concludes.
