Ex-FM Melescanu eyed by investigation for “hiding the truth on the Romanian communist regime” during Vienna conference in 1989

The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of Romanian Exile (IICCMER) has been notified ex-officio on the current Senate Speaker, former FM Teodor Melescanu’s  past activity as representative of the Romanian delegation to the conference in Vienna during December 19-20, 1989, when he is accused of “hiding the truth” regarding the anti-communist revolution in Timisoara back then.

More precisely, Melescanu is accused of taking part in the “misinformation” spread by the Ceasescu’s regime among foreign diplomats those days in December 1989.

Just few days before, in the days of December 16-17, 1989, Romanians in Timisoara were starting to rebel against the communist ruling and against the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. It was the start of the Romanian Revolution, and it was in Timisoara that events first had a tragic turn, when numerous lives were claimed and many other people were injured.

“According to diplomatic cables, Teodor Melescanu would have participated as an official to the misinformation and diversion exerted by the communist totalitarian regime by misleading the foreign diplomats attending the conference in Vienna on the crimes and abuses committed in Timisoara and by placing the events committed by the representatives of the communist regime as <rumours launched for hateful purposes> and as “unconfirmed news stories>“, IICCMER says.

The Institute started an internal investigation on potential criminal deeds committed by Teodor Melescanu back then, with inquiries probing into archive documents and into identification of witnesses.

If concrete clues leading to criminal deeds are identified, IICCMER will notify the criminal prosecution bodies and to deliver all evidence and documents of the researches to the Public Ministry.

According to some US diplomatic cables, released by Canadian journalist Stanley Tromp, on December 20, 1989, Teodor Melescanu has “strongly” opposed a moment of silence during the conference of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation, held in the loving memory of the victims of the repression in Timisoara.