Nicolae CEAUSESCU’s Romania is increasingly isolated on the international stage. Six former senior leaders of his government denounced the dictatorial methods of the Romanian head of state in an open letter, the EEC, the privileged partner, ceases its economic agreements while the country is already exangue, France has decided to recall its ambassador, and even the communist brother countries are distancing themselves from the "Conducator". The international community reproaches the country for violations of fundamental freedoms and human rights (...). Comment on archive images.
The fall of the CEAUCESCU dictatorship in Romania once again raises the problem of the right of the international community to interfere or intervene in countries or impose dictatorial regimes. Commentary on factual and archival images and interview Mario BETTATI (Dean of Law, Paris)
The famous poet Adrian PAUNESCU, poet laureate of the CEAUSESCU regime, has just been recognized in a street of Bucharest by the crowd. He owes his salvation only to the intervention of soldiers guarding the American consulate who will take him under their protection. Comment on factual images.
The Romanian television has just presented the leaders of the CEAUSESCU regime who will be put to trial. The elder son of the former dictator, Valentin, is one of those arrested, presented in handcuffs. The other members of the group are Tudor POSTELNICU, former Minister of the Interior, Emil BOBU, Dimitri POPESCU and General Marin NAGOE. Comment on factual images and interview
The Romanian Prime Minister, Petre ROMAN, on an official visit to Paris, comments on the eventful events that took place in Bucharest today (assault by demonstrators from the government headquarters of the Provisional Council of National Union). Interview (in French) of the person concerned.
Pluralism in Romania with the creation of the Provisional Council of National Union (CPUN) which replaces the Council of the National Salvation Front (CFSN). This mini-parliament, where for the first time in 45 years all parties are represented, will hold power until the elections on 20 May. Commentary on factual images and statement by Christian UNTEANU (spokesperson of the CFSN ).
Romania: The Provisional Government has decided to dissolve Securitritate, the former political police of the CEAUSESCU regime. Commentary on factual and archival images and excerpt press conference of General LIONEL (Deputy Minister of Defence).
Romania: The new government wanted to celebrate April 1, 1990, the 100th day of the revolution but found no echo in the population which not only disputes the date of December 22, 1989 (flight and arrest of the couple CEAUSESCU) as the beginning of the revolution, but feels robbed of its revolution and fooled by current leaders. Comment on factual images and micro-sidewalk (in French).
Romania: In Timisoara (west of the country), where the first uprisings against the regime of Nicolae CEAUSESCU started, the inhabitants have just discovered mass graves. Lying on sheets, at night, mutilated bodies are lit by candles. NDD: these images are at the origin of the episode of the "true-false mass" of Timisoara, disinformation of the Romanian insurective authorities that spread in the western media and obviously hit public opinion. It then turned out that these bodies had nothing to do with a mass grave due to government repression but came from the cemetery of a local morgue and death was long before the events began.
Romania: Only four days after Timisoara’s bloodbath, the Romanian number one called for a demonstration in support of the regime. From the balcony of the Central Committee, the "Conducator", Nicolae CEAUSESCU, surrounded by his wife Elena and the main leaders of the political bureau, delivered a speech that the national television and radio had to cut off patriotic songs, so as to censor the hostile cries that suddenly burst out of the crowd.
Romania: The dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU and his wife Elena are detained in a military base whose name is kept secret. The arrest took place on Friday afternoon, 22 December 1989, and was denied several times in order to sow confusion in the ranks of the Securitate, the political police of the regime. The couple will be on television as soon as the fighting has stopped. Commentary on archival images and explanation of the tumultuous fall and flight of the Romanian presidential couple through the Bucharest underground.
The Romanian people are more suspicious of the new government led by Ion ILIESCU and Petre ROMAN, although softened by GORBACHEV, the presence of former members of the Romanian Communist Party in this government casts doubt among the population. Comment on factual images.
Returning from a humanitarian mission in Romania, the president of Médecins du Monde, Jacques LEBAS, and the philosopher André GLUCKSMANN deplored the lack of medicines during their press conference. Commentary on factual images and interviews of the two interested parties.
University of Bucharest: students organize themselves in liaison committee, to make themselves heard in high places. They want to participate actively in the reconstruction of their country and especially that this revolution is not confiscated. Commentary on factual images and interviews of students and a teacher (many Francophones).
Hungary-Romania border: no sign of life on the Romanian side, and on the Hungarian side, we try to act as if nothing had happened. The Five gathered the testimonies of the few travellers who cross the border, 4 days after the bloody repression of the demonstrations of Timisoara. Commentary on factual images and testimonials of a Romanian motorist who crossed the border and an old Hungarian lady. Set in situation Jean-Yves HUCHET.
Unpublished images of the execution of Nicolae and Elena CEAUSESCU on 25 December 1989 were provided by free Romanian television. In addition to the execution, this document shows the lifeless bodies of the couple lying in the courtyard of the barracks, then the beer and burial (images commented off in Romanian).
Romania: Return to calm in Timisoara (west of the country), although the tanks are still present in the streets, where daily life slowly resumes. At the university, the new "Romanian Democratic Front" is holding a conference. Commentary on factual images. Set in situation Jean-Yves HUCHET.