The Institute
The events of December 1989 marked not only the overturn of the communist dictatorship, but also the opportunity of finding the path towards an honest future, freed from any traces of fear, cowardice or renunciation. Romania’s accession to NATO and its coming near to the integration in the EU marked a great step forward for the ex-communist country. Despite these facts, Romania failed to acknowledge, and, more importantly, to assume the undraped truth about its almost fifty years of totalitarian regime in a world that did not hesitate to condemn communism unreservedly.
In these circumstances, in March 2006, Marius Oprea, the President of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania (IICCR), noticed: ‘Many people are asking whether an outright condemnation of communism is still necessary, now that 16 years have passed since the Revolution of 1989. I say it is, and I rely on the fact that such a profoundly moral decision, meant to restore the Romanian society from its foundation, is necessary at any time.’ Moreover, the setting up of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania, acknowledged by the Romanian Government’s Decree No. 1724/ 21.12.2005, took place at a moment when civil society was accusing the lack of decisive reparatory actions from the part of the public institutions which were assigned to deal with communist crimes and abuses. In addition, restricted access to archives fed the idea that it was the lack of political will which hampered the reestablishment of truth and justice.
Considering the above-mentioned facts, it is important to note that the setting up of IICCR took place at a moment when political forces understood they had the duty to support the unmitigated revealing of the truth. The draft bills that are presently under debate, such as The National Security Law or The Archives Law, as well as the decision to grant access to confidential files demonstrate there is political willingness towards an outright condemnation of the communist regime.
On the other hand, the international condemnation of communism compels us, as a nation, to surpass the nostalgia towards a regime which no longer benefits by any extenuating circumstances. In other European ex-communist states, there are organisms or research institutes which sprang up almost immediately after the collapse of the respective totalitarian regimes. Their objectives were – and still are – to raise the veil laid over communist crimes and abuses. The Czech Republic and Hungary, for example, have initiated actions similar to the ones presently undertaken in Romania since 1995.
In these circumstances, the main objectives of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania are the gathering of data, documents and testimonies regarding all oppressive actions exerted by the system, as well as the notification of the state’s criminal investigation departments. In addition, one of the Institute’s major priorities is the objective informing of the large public on the crimes, abuses and instigations to crime, undertaken in the name of ‘class struggle’ by the powerful people within the communist system. Moreover, the necessity of establishing and maintaining close connections with the victims of the communist regime is also taken into account by the Institute’s experts.
Besides research activities, the IICCR also takes on a series of educational programs and specific projects, which are developed with the support of similar institutions in Romania and abroad.
The above-stated objectives of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania are carried out by the experts within the Investigations Department. Their activity is coordinated by the Managing Committee and the Honorary Board, which is formed of eleven distinguished public figures, appointed by the Prime Minister.