The demonstrators? arrest and the conditions of detention during the events which took place in December 1989 in Timisoara (1)
The popular movements which took place in December 1989 in Romania took time to attract the researchers? attention. The ambiguity, the mystery which still persists about some aspects of the events, even their proximity discouraged the specialists from aprroaching this subject. The space left free by the historians was partially occupied by those who took part in the events, and who described especially what they had gone through in person. Thus, we can find and read books such as: 1989 Timisoara in December (1989. Timisoara în decembrie by Costel Balint, Timisoara, 1992) Incendiary chronicle (Reportaj cu sufletul la gura by Titus Suciu, Timisoara, 1990), The Timisoara revolution as it really was. The stories of the wounded, of the arrested, of the families and of the friends of those who died during the Revolution (Revolutia din Timisoara așa cum a fost. Marturii ale ranitilor, arestatilor, rudelor si prietenilor celor decedati în Revolutie by Marius Mioc, Timisoara, 1997). Another type of works whose publishing discouraged the specialists were those works whose authors try to discover the intervention of the foreign secret services, of the spies or of others foreign groups against ?The Revolution? and the ?Romanian people?: In December ?89 the KGB helped by a military group blew off Romania (În decembrie ?89 KGB a aruncat în aer Romania cu complicitatea unui grup de militari by Valentin Raiha, Bucharest, 1995), Romania 1989. Against the barbarian invasions, again. (Romania 1989. Din nou in calea navalirilor barbare by Angela Bacescu, Cluj, 1994), The mysteries of the Romanian Revolution (Misterele Revolutiei romane by Aurel Perva and Carol Roman).
As for the historical research, the specialists were, at first, interested in describing some events, and in publishing books such as: A chronicle of the Timisoara revolution (O cronica a Revolutiei din Timisoara by Florin Medelet, Mihai Ziman, Timisoara, 1990) or Timisoara. 15th – 21st December ?89 (Timisoara. 15 ? 21 decembrie ?89 by Miodrag Milin, Timisoara, 1990). Subsequently, they began to publish books which treat the problem of the Romanian movements at the end of 1989, with a view to the events as well as from the theoretical point of view. Publications such as: Nestor Rates – Romania: The Entangled Revolution (Romania: Revolutia incalcita, Pitesti, 1999 – english version 1991), Anneli Ute Gabanyi ? The Unfinished Revolution (Revolutia neterminata, București, 1999), Victor Neumann – Ideology and Phantasmagoria (Ideologie si fantasmagorie, Iasi, 2001, the chapter. Political changes in Romania in 1989) support our statement.
The issue of the arrested people during the events which took place before December 221 is very important, considering the following problems:
– it constitutes an aspect of the controversial Romanian movements which led to the decline of the communist system;
– it indicates the relationship between a group of people who overcame their fear and another group who wasn?t able to overcome this feeling and who decided to keep supporting the compromised system;
– it shows the lack of respect towards the human beings, towards their moral and their physical integrity, in contradiction with the fundamental human rights, recognised and accepted by any modern state;
– the illegality of the arrests and the treatment of the arrested people give us some ideas about the principles which lie at the very heart of the totalitarian communist system: the abuses, the broken laws;
– the clarification of the issues related to the arrests of people who had taken part in the manifestations would represent a positive step for the understanding of the movements which took place in December 1989 in Romania.
The setting where the suppression of opponents took place is well known. We won?t give many details about it, we have just recalled it because we want the reader to be familiar with it.
Because of the protest against the system manifested by Laszlo Tokes, a Reformed priest from Timisoara, which reached its climax with his apparition on the Hungarian National Television in the summer of 1989, Tokes had been subjected to a trial of religious nature, which was based on his refusal to accept his transfer from Timisoara to Mineu, in the county of Salaj2. Following the trial, a sentence was passed whose execution was established for December 153. On this date some reformed parishioners gathered in front of the priest?s house and church. Their number grew, reaching ?around 200 people?4 in the afternoon. The following day, more and more people stopped in Piata Maria (Maria Square), where the parochial house was, to see what was happening, and so the number of the opponents became larger and larger. Subsequently, the opponents would split, some of them would stay there, in front of the house, while the others would walk on Timisoara?s streets in order to incite people to revolt.
In the afternoon of December 16, people would, for the first time, shout slogans against Ceausescu and the communist system. In the evening of this same day, the first arrests happened. A lot of suspicious civilians had already walked in Timisoara since December 155. The number of the arrests would grow in the following days.
We point out now the main parts of the city where arrests took place:
– near the headquarters of the late Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR), now the headquarters of the prefecture, where arrests took place in the evening of December 16 and 176;
– Piaţa Libertăţii (The Liberty Square), there is the headquarters of the garrison; the soldiers from the garrison were those who arrested people between 1.00 – 11.00 a.m. and in the afternoon of December 177 ;
– The Central Park – The Cathedral zone, arrests took place in the afternoon and in the evening of December 17 and 18 (after 15.00 o?clock); some arrests took place in the morning of December 17 and 18, before 11.00 a.m.8;
– near the Continental Hotel, arrests took place in the evening of December 17 (between 2.00 – 5.00 a.m.) in the afternoon of the same day (after 13.30 p.m.)9;
– The Opera Square, arrests took place in the evening December 16, 17 (all day long) and in the afternoon of the December 1810;
– The Square Maria, arrests took place in the evening of December 16, the night of December 16-17, the night of December 17-1811 , and, as far as we know, the last arrest was Soos Zoltan Matei?s arrest from December 18, at 3.00 p.m.12;
– The Market 700, most of the arrests took place on the morning of December 17, between 0.00 – 5.00 a.m., a new series began in the evening of December 17 and ended on the morning of December 1813 ; Szekely Mihai Iosif?s case is very special because he had been arrested in this market in December 19 at 16.30 o?clock14 ;
– Piata Craiului Street, near the Cina Restaurant, arrests took place maily in the morning and in the evening of December 17; some arrests took place in the evening of December 1815;
– Dacia – Circumvalatiunii zone, arrests took place in the evening of the December 16 and in the morning of December 1716;
– near the present Louis Turcanu Hospital, between 1.00 – 4.00 a.m. on the morning of December 1717;
– near the Clinicile Noi Hospital, on the morning of December 17, between 3.30 – 6.00 a.m.18;
– in the Iosefin Market; some arrests took place on December 17 around noon, another series followed during the night of December 17-1819 , the last arrest, which took place on December 19 at 15.30, was this of Zabara Grigorie20.
The result of the people? statements is that the authors of the arrests can be divided in four categories:
– People in civilian clothes; some statements define them as being ?people from the Securitate? or ?policemen (?Militia? or ?militieni? in Romanian);
– Middle ranking or senior executives from MApN (Ministry of Defence);
– Executives from MI (Ministry of the Interior), in their specific clothes, sometimes even wearing shields;
– In few cases, patriotic garrisons which had never operated alone.
In a great number of cases people in civilian clothes operated on various streets of the city with cars (Dacia or ARO), which they stopped near isolated demonstrators or near small groups of people whom they took, by force, to the Local Inspectorate of the Police or to the Penitentiary. The ?corrective? methods they used consisted of: smacks with stakes, with truncheon, people were knocked on their heads. Antochi Ioan, a worker who was arrested near the Cardinal Points, on December 17, at 3.00 – 4.00 a.m21 stated: ?I was arrested by policemen in civilian near the Cardinal Points, they hit me, they broke my glasses?22 .
The couple Albota Silvia and Radu-Cristian, students at that time, were arrested by three civilians who got out of an ARO near the Continental Hotel23 , on the morning of December 17, around 4.00 o?clock24. Two of the civilians had a strike; the third one had a tube of spray. The two had been asked to show them their identity cards, and when the civilians found out that they were talking with students, they forced them to get in the car, and one of them hit Albota Radu on the back. In that ARO they met other two teen-agers, both of them had been beaten. All of them were taken to the Penitentiary.
Archip Viorel, an electrician, had been arrested on the Leontin Salajan Avenue (which is now called Take Ionescu) in the evening of December 17, at 22.00 25, by 4 people in fur clothes and who had submachine guns26.
Balint Costel, a teacher, was arrested by two civilians carrying clubs, who had gone out of a white ARO near the Clinicile Noi27 Hospital, on the morning of December 17, at 3.30-4.00 a.m.28 They ask him to show them his identity card, but he couldn?t do this because one of them hit him with the strike on the back. ?I have tried to interfere for a young lady who had been arrested in the same time … but they have struck me on the back and on the head. I have lost my consciousness…?29.
Caloian Dumitru, a painter, had been arrested by eight or nine people in civilian clothes (he can?t remember their number) on the Avenue Leontin Salajan30, on the morning of December 17, around 3.00 a.m., and he had been taken to the headquarters of the Securitate (within the perimeter of the Local Inspectorate of Police)31.
Cotos Dionisie, a locksmith, is one of the persons arrested by a mixed group of civilians and soldiers, placed near the Expres Restaurant which is in front of the Cathedral. He had been summoned with guns, beaten, and then obliged to lie in front of them, on the ground, for two hours, between 15.00-15.30 and 17.00-17.30. Seven or eight other persons had been forced to do the same32. One of them was Sgondea Stelian (a mechanic), arrested at 16.30, an hour after Cotos? arrest. Sgondea, who had hidden himself in some bushes in the Central Park ?saw a tramway steering towards the Expres Corso Stop, I started to run in order to catch it and to go away from there because they kept shooting. The tramway didn?t stop?, so Sgondea was forced to face the soldiers and the civilians. ?They put me on the ground, and they hit my face, my head and my back until around 20.00 o?clock?33. Fenesanu Nicolae (a hairdresser) had been arrested in the same place around 18.00 o?clock. He had been in the Opera Square with one of his friends; he had seen the soldiers and the civilians in front of the restaurant. They ordered him to stop. They were ransacked and forced to lie on the ground. A short time after, they were beaten34.
Subsequently, all the persons arrested were taken to the Penitentiary.
A great number of the arrests made by the soldiers took place in Liberty Square, starting with the morning of December 17. They were soldiers, sometimes led by an officer or by a civilian. They were armed so they hit the persons they had captured with their firearms, and they beat them. In a few cases, the soldiers tried to insert their truncheons in the demonstrators they moment they had captured them[1]. In general, they arrested those persons who tried to go back home from the manifestations which had taken place in Circumvalatiunii ? Dacia on the night of December 16-17. Thus, while crossing the Liberty Square, and after having succeeded in avoiding the soldiers in the Dacia Square, Albina Elena (a retiree) and her daughter Roban Maria were arrested and taken to the garrison by three soldiers, at 3.45 a.m. A short time after, they were transported in a car, together with other arrested people to the Police[2].
Some 15-20 minutes before their arrest, another person was arrested by the soldiers. Aga Ioan Florin (a singer) was beaten by those from the garrison and taken to the Police[3].
In Dacia, people were put under arrest starting with the evening of December 16. Regep Codruta Ileana (an operator), is one of those who were arrested at 00.00, on December 17[4] o?clock after having taken part in the manifestations whose point was to incite the inhabitants of Timisoara to join the demonstrators. Near Dacia Square, soldiers tried to spread them. Codruta hid in the staircase of a block of flats, and some other demonstrators followed her. A woman received them in her flat. Some minutes later, they heard the soldiers knocking at her door and threatening to break it. She opened it, and the soldiers took them all out. They were transported in a truck to the Police[5].
Rosu Florin was arrested near the garrison, on Lipova Avenue[6], at 8.30 p.m. on December 17. An armed person dressed in military clothes and who was standing at the corner of the Borzesti street and the Lipova Avenue, ordered him to stop. After having looked at his identity papers, he ordered two soldiers to take him into the garrison. Rosu protested, and one of the soldiers hit him with his firearm somewhere near the kidneys. While he was dragged into the garrison, he was beaten by this soldier and he saw that other soldiers opened the fire on the pork butcher?s on Lipova Avenue. Other persons had been arrested and had been brought to the garrison. At 1.00 a.m. they were put in a police van and were transported to the Penitentiary[7].
Zorila Marian (a worker), was surrounded by soldiers near the 700 Market, on December 17, at 2.00-3.00 a.m[8]. They had come from everywhere and they started to beat the demonstrators. Zorila Marian was one of them. He lost consciousness, and when he regained it he realized he wan on a van, on the way to the Police[9].
Bartha Stefan Dorin, a student at that time, was arrested on the morning of December 17, at 1.00 o?clock[10], by a mixed patrol made of a policeman and an officer, near the Louis Turcanu Hospital. He and his friend succeeded in escaping from the jostling which had taken place near the 700 Market. Both of them were brought to the city council. There, they met other people. They were forced to get in the Police cars and they were brought to the General Inspectorate of Police[11].
The policemen operated in patrols, by foot or in cars. Sometimes they operated together with the soldiers or the civilians, blocking, for instance, the traffic near the Neptun Bridge or near the Opera Square. They carried truncheons, sometimes even guns; they were only seldom accompanied by police dogs. They would beat the persons they arrested. Popa Eugen (an engineer) was arrested near the Neptun Bridge, (near the former headquarters of the Romanian Communist Party) on the evening of December 17 at 20.00-20.30 o?clock. He wanted to go past the soldiers and the policemen who were blocking the traffic near the Neptun Bridge; he came closer to them and asked them to let him go past. Four policemen asked for his identification papers. Out of the blue, one of them started to accuse him of having stolen food from a shop. Popa Eugen protested, and they started to hit him. After he was beaten, he was taken to the Local Committee of the Communist party, where he was beaten again, and then, he was taken, together with other demonstrators, to the headquarters of the Local Police[12].
1 Among the works which contain references to the arrested persons in Timisoara, we mention: C. Balint, op. cit., p. 21 – 23; 51 -54; 70 – 764; 79 – 82; 98 – 100, where the author speaks about the events he went through as an arrested person: then T. Suciu, op. cit., where we find Eugen Popa?s statements (p. 92 – 95; 141 – 144; 163 – 164; 177 – 179) and Olteanu Cornel (p. 111 – 112; 158 – 159); M. Mioc, The Timisoara Revolution…, with the statements of Gazda Arpad (p. 7 – 13), Farcau Vasile (p. 39 – 41), Sandu Mihai (p. 45 – 48), Burghelea Victor (p. 49 – 54), Geanu Ioan (p. 55 – 56), Cutara Alexandru Corneliu (p. 57 – 61), Suharu Anton (p. 98 – 101);
2 See Marius Mioc?s newest book, The Revolution without no mystery. The beginning of the Romanian Revolution: Laszlo Tokes? case, Timisoara, 2002, publishing house ?Almanahul Banatului?, p. 240;
3 See Gazda Arpad?s statement in Marius Mioc, The Timisoara Revolution…p..9; Gazda was one of the priest?s friends; also Laszlo Tokes? story in T. Suciu, Incendiary chronicle Timisoara, 1990, p. 12 – 14;
4 See Gazda Arpad?s statement in Marius Mioc, The Timisoara Revolution…, p. 9;
5 Miodrag Milin, Timisoara. 15th – 21st December ?89, Timisoara, 1990, p. 12;
6 See the statements of the arrested persons Abalasei Ioan, Briscan Delia, Dan Nicolae, Fronazier Costica, Maier Ioan, Manea Silviu Viorel, Trif Marinel, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
7 See the statements of the arrested persons Abrihan Ioan, Aga Ioan Florin, Albina Elena, Cadar Dumitru, Cernat Monica Gabriela, Curca Gavrila, Dicu Liviu, Feru Tiberiu, Feru Lia Lenuta, Focht Cornel, Margan Virgil Sabin, Petrea Gheorghe, Potromaneant Daniel Gheorghe, Popescu Dumitru, Rad Daniel, Radu Costache, Ranceanu Mihai, Rusu Mircea Nicolae, Smolinschi Norbert, Spinu Luminita, Tat Adrian, Tat Iosif, Tat Silvia, Zahan Simion Petru, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
8 See the statements of the arrested persons Abrudan Dorian, Ardelean Corneliu, Bobeica Florin, Ciobanu Radu, Cirjan Aurel, Coca Ioan, Contrea Viorel, Cotos Dionisie, Daia Decebal Marius, Diaconu Sofia Dora, Dragomir Marius, Fenesanu Nicolae, Florea Antonie Cristian, Foleanu Dorin Calin, Junc Mihai Florentin, Juravle Gheorghe, Kis Pavel, Kovaci Geza, Marton Valentin, Micu Robert, Nechita Gheorghe, Nedelcu Gabriel, Neu Costel, Petromaniant Ion Zeno, Pitaru Virgil, Pop Alin Sorinel, Reus Alexandru, Rusando Petru, Sandu Vasile Valentin, Sanislav Nicolae, Sgondea Stelian, Stancu Paula, Stoffel Gheorghe, Strungariu Dan, Szasz Petrica, Szoke Matei, Toth Gheorghe, Trip Dumitru, Turcan Nicolae Florin, Valan Tiberiu, Zlavog Gabriel, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
9 See the statements of the arrested persons Albota Silvia, Albota Radu Ciprian, Bursuc Costel, Capatana Sorin Marius, Cristescu Luminita Lucia, Cuteanu Marius Iosif, Jekeli Ana, Parpaluta Costel Nicusor, Simo Alin Dan, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
10 See the statements of the arrested persons Amuraritei Gheorghe, Ardelean Iostin, Cazacu Florin, Crista Petru, Drambau Florian, Filip Ilie, Horosincu Liviu, Marton Hainal, Molnar Miklos, Opruta Sorin, Sliug Ioan, Tatar Aurelian, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
11 See the statements of the arrested persons Berinde Adrian Cristian, Carp Petru, Chicla Stefan, Cismaru Silviu, Cocu Neculina, Csoke Andrei, Dragomir Marius, Duma Nistor, Dumitrovici Mircea, Dumitru Radu, Durac Ionel, Flocioiu Ion, Iacovania Marius, Ilan Ioan, Ionesi Valeriu, Iost Krisztina, Jivan Gheorghe, Jude Iosif, Kiss Pal Joszef, Maranga Ioan, Mates Gherghina, Mura Gheorghe, Novacovici Dumitru, Pricop Cornel Mircea, Rus Marcel, Stamatiu Oreste, Sepetan Dragan, Sofian Remus, Somogyi Attila, Stein Daniel, Susnea Lavinia, Todea Simona Maria, Toma Corneliu, Toth Emerich, trana Vasile, Vestemean teodor, Virag Gabriel, Zaharia Mihai, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
12 Soos Zoltan Matei?s statement in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
13 See the statements of the arrested persons Astefanoaie Simion, Cirdei Vasile, Copilu Victor, Costiniuc Alexandru, Covaciu Imre Laios, Holdis Mihai, Hosu Virgil, Nastasa Laurentiu, Parpaluta Marcel, Pekni Ioan, Perici Viorel Grigorie, Pitarca Traian Nicolae, Plesoaianu Dumitru, Rinceanu Dorina, Scherer Carol, Szekely Mihai Iosif, Torok Gavril, Trut Achim, Vaida Gheorghe, Zamfirescu Mihai, Zorila Marian, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
14 See Szekely Mihai Iosif?s statement, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
15 See the statements of the arrested persons Ceachir Ion Doru, Ceachir Mircea Cristian, Cotrocoi Constantin, Cozariuc Marian, Fabian Francisc, Frunza Ilie, Josza Katalin, Madarasz Karoly, Radau Dumitru, Ruskal Emeric, Todor Coriolan Octavian in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
16 See the statements of the arrested persons Baciu Moisa, Busta Vasile, Crancu Alexandru, Cutura Alexandru Corneliu, Danciu Daniel, Dume Florian, Enculescu Eugenia, Istrate George, Mota Ioan, Nagy Mihai, Nicola Andreea Simona, Orfescu Horelentiu, Pirvu Radu, Popovici Viorica, Regep Codruta Ileana, Rosu Mirela, Rumann Hermine, Stir Remus, Valto Mirela, Vinesar Daniela, Vinesar Lucian, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
17 See the statements of the arrested persons Bartha Stefan Dorin, Dida Aurel, Dinu Dorel, Meila Codrut Manuel, Moldovan Vasile Ioan, Petitjean Lucien Robert, Urlan Cristiana, Urlan Dumitru Sorin, Vasile Florea, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
18 See the statements of Balint Costel, Burghelea Victor, Craciun Florin, Dragoi Nicolae, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
19 See the statements of Erdei Francisc, Doczi Teodorele, Pirvan Adriana, Sandu Dumitru, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
20 Zabara Grigorie?s statement, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
21 A. was going back home after having taken part at the demonstrations against the communist system, which took place in the evening and in the night of December 16-17; see Antochi Ioan?s statement in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
22 Ibidem;
23 They had tried to take a shortcut in order to arrive in the campus, but the most of the streets had been blocked by soldiers or members of the Police; see Albota Radu Cristian and Albota Silvia?s statements in The archive of the memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
24 Ibidem;
25 He wanted to arrive at the Party Central Committee, in order to join the demonstrators who had been already there; see Archip Viorel?s statement in The archive of the memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
26 Ibidem;
27 B. was coming back home from a demonstration which took place in Circumvalatiunii zone, where middle ranking or seniors executive from MApN and MI operated violently, and forced the demonstrators to split; B. had been among them, see his statement in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara; to find more about the events that had happened in Circumvalatiunii zone read Codruta Ileana Regep and Bartha Stefan Dorin?s statement;
28 Ibidem, see Costel Balint, op. cit., p. 21;
29 Ibidem;
30 On December 16, C. was going to the Calea Buziasului, in order to visit one of his friends; he saw a group of demonstartors near the Banatul Factory and he joined them; they went to the AEM and then on the Lidia Street, The Giroc Avenue, then in the campus, and then at the Town Council, at the Capitol Cinema, near the Town Council they had met the members of the Securitate and the squires, they could hardy escape from there, C. ran away and he hid in the park which is near the Continental Hotel, he stayed there still 3.00 a.m. on December 17; he had been arrested on his way back home, see Caloian Dumitru?s statement in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
31 Ibidem;
32 Cotos Dionisie?s statement, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
33 Sgondea Stelian?s statement in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
34 Feneseanu Nicolae?s statement, in The archive of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[1] See, for instance, Farcau Vasile?s statement, in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[2] See Elena Albina?s statement, in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[3]See Aga Ioan Florin?s statement in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[4] On December 16, at 5.30 p.m., R. and three of her friends went in Maria Square, as they heart that there were many people in front of the reformed priest?s house; no sooner had they got there than people started to shout slogans against Ceausescu and the communist system. R, her friends and the demonstrators went in Opera Square, and then in the campus, and they realized the students? hostels had been locked, some of the students jumped off the balcony in order to join the demonstrators; they came back in the center of the town, they headed for Circumvalatiunii, to incite the inhabitants of Timisoara to join them; near the Milk Factory, some trucks full of soldiers had blocked their way for a while, but then they went away; the demonstrators headed for Gheorghe Lazar street, then for Dacia Square, see Regep Codruta Ileana?s statement in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[5] Ibidem;
[6] On December 17, Rosu, his wife and their little daughter left home at 2.00 p.m. and went to pay a visit to a friend on Campina Street; several persons gathered to his friend?s house and talked about what was happening; at 5.30 p.m. Rosu and three of his friends left the house and headed for the center of the town, to see what was happening; they arrived on Aradului Avenue, near the cemetery, and they heard people shouted slogans against the communist system; they caught up with them (there where around 150-200 persons), they joined them and headed for the Torontalului Avenue, the Aradului Avenue, inciting people. Once on Aradului Avenue, he got afraid some of his friend who were working there might recognize him, so he went back to his friend?s house, and decided to join the demonstrators later; he reached his friend?s house, he met his wife and his daughter and they left their friend at 7.30 p.m.; on their way home, on Lipova Avenue, he saw the soldiers heading for the Campus; he got home, he stood there 20 minutes; then he decided to go back to his friend?s house and to take him out, in town, but he got arrested on his way to his friend?s house; see Rosu Florin?s statement in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[7] Ibidem;
[8] At 1.00-1.30 Z was to one of his friends, they went out, other friends joined them. They wanted to join a group of demonstrators who were crossing the Circumvalatiunii street, they headed for 700 Market, where they spread because they had been surrounded by several soldiers; demonstrators started to shout slogans against the communist system and to throw stones at the soldiers; Z was sure that somebody who was in the hospital near the 700 Market filmed them; see Zorila Marian?s statement in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[9] Ibidem;
[10] On December 16, at 7.30 p.m., one of his friends came back in the campus and announced that there was a ?popular riot? in Maria Square; B. and another friend decided to go out in town, in Maria Square, it was empty when they got there, but they could hear the demonstrators? slogans in Opera Square; they joined them; the group of demonstrators counted around 2000 persons who were heading for the campus; some of the students joined them; they came back in Opera Square; they reached the cathedral at 00.00 o?clock; B. shouted slogans till 00.30 o?clock; some demonstrators told the crew about the difficulties they had been submitted to and about the importance of their fight against the communist system; they decided to go in Circumvalatiunii and on Lipovei Avenue in order to incite the people; after having passed underneath the viaduct which led them to Circumvalatiunii, a driver of a Dacia 1300 accelerated and hit the demonstrators; a man had been hit and had been transported to the hospital by another car; in Circumvalatiunii, the demonstrators were ?welcomed? by three military cars with their lights on; there were a lot of unarmed soldiers who didn?t react; demonstrating, they continued their way to Dacia; once arrived there, they improvised a speech, they went on, and when they were about to leave the Aradului Avenue, they were ?welcomed? by a lot of soldiers with truncheons; although they didn?t attack them, the demonstrators got afraid and spread away, the group of demonstrators had been broken in two, the dense group headed for the Cathedral, near the Military Hospital they were ?welcomed? by a lot of cars and seniors executives of the Ministry of the Interior who threatened them through a loudspeaker; the demonstrators spread again, B. and his friend headed for the Community Arts Center, crossed the Paris street, and hid in a block of flats, a quarter of hour later they went out and they headed for the Cathedral, they had been arrested near the Louis Turcanu Hospital, see Bartha Stefan Dorin?s statement in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;
[11] Ibidem;
[12] See Popa Eugen?s statement, in The archives of the Memorial of the Revolution, File ?Arrested people?, Timisoara;