Romanian Ex Pres Says Revolution Shooters Were Pros

"The people who fired at the people were part of a Securitate unit under the direct supervision of Nicolae Ceausescu, and they were especially trained for emergency situations. They shot soldiers like real professionals and then they immediately disappeared, without a trace," Iliescu said Friday, in the symposium, organized by the Institute of the Romanian Revolution, commemorating the December 22, 1989 revolution.

In Iliescu’s opinion, the chances for the truth to be unveiled regarding these “criminals” are extremely low, because this group of professionals was trained to disappear.

In the revolution, 1,104 people died, including 221 soldiers, while another 3,321 people were injured, including 633 soldiers.

Two years before, prosecutor Dan Voinea, who was then head of the investigators researching the Revolution case file, said that all events in December 1989 in Romania were directed from the center, from Bucharest, and that on December 22, 1989, after a diversion, the existence of terrorists was planted into the collective psyche.

After December 22, 1989, the Romanian Revolution turned from a battle against communism, through a “televised” diversion, into a battle against an invisible foe, namely the terrorists. Thus, according to Voinea, those who opened fire in the crowds gathered after Ceausescu’s flight on December 22, were military, Securitate people, patriot guards or people who, in the purpose of "defending certain institutions from terrorists who were firing from and in all positions," and they received weapons and ammunition.

Voinea also said, at that time, that none of the investigations he conducted regarding the December ‘89 revealed the existence of any terrorists.

"We need to search our own backyard for those who were interested in creating a feeling of fear. After December 22, I can say that there was a diversion. The existence of terrorists was invented to redirect attention from the fight against communism to the fight against terrorists. After December 22, 1989, the communists struggled to remain in power. And they succeeded!" Voinea said.