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Frank Wolf, USA Congressman, Continuing Human Rights Violations in Romania - speech, delivered in the USA Congress on 27.10.1990,regarding the oppression of the University Square protests and the arrest of Marian Munteanu.
Surce: The Library of Congress [Page: H5196, H5197]:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r101:H20JY0-799:



Continuing human rights violations in Romania
(House of Representatives - July 20, 1990)

by Frank Wolf



Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues the situation of Mr. Marian Munteanu, a young, promising, student leader from Romania who has labored peacefully and earnestly for democratic reform in his country. I met Mr. Munteanu during a visit which he made to Washington in February this year. In fact we spoke just outside this Chamber. He is a very gentle and intelligent young man who is deeply committed to helping to form a free, democratic society and multiparty system. He is also deeply committed to nonviolent, I stress nonviolent, demonstration as a means to pressure the Iliescu government to move forward toward a multiparty democracy.

We heard some disturbing news, however, that on June 14, Mr. Munteanu, along with nearly 200 fellow students and other demonstrators, was beaten severely by miners while peacefully, I stress peacefully, protesting on the streets of Bucharest. As they were being brutally assaulted, police officers stood by watching, without lifting a hand to stop this carnage. Now over 180 protestors are in jail, while not one single miner has been arrested as a result of their actions in mid-June.

During his beating, Mr. Munteanu was seriously injured, although the full extent of those injuries are not known. He reportedly suffered broken bones in his left hand and right ankle. Apparently Mr. Munteanu was arrested immediately after being beaten and taken to a hospital.

Since then, however, Mr. Munteanu has been moved to prison and is now being denied medical treatment. At last report, he was suffering from memory loss, dizziness, and nausea. Our Embassy staff in Bucharest, Romania requested permission to see Mr. Munteanu and other prisoners, but were denied. The Red Cross was given permission to visit them, but only on the condition that they not report on what they saw. They could visit but not report. Only Mr. Munteanu's mother has been allowed to see him, and she reports that his condition is deteriorating.

Unfortunately, this is only the latest in a series of blatant human rights violations under the Iliescu government in Romania. It is now very clear that not all of the old Ceausescu regime died with Ceausescu. More specifically, it is becoming widely acknowledged that a significant part of the old Securitate secret police force is becoming increasingly involved in the current government and its operations. In fact, the defense minister of Romania has even publicly admitted that part of their `new' internal security force will be made of former Securitate officers!

Now, everyone in this country, and certainly in Romania, knows how vicious and brutal the Securitate was under Ceausescu and how they are today under the Iliescu administration.

Mr. Speaker, it is also very clear that this same part of the old Securitate has been involved in intimidating and beating government opponents in Romania, During the elections in May, opposition political parties were harassed, their meetings were sometimes disrupted, offices were broken into, and, perhaps most importantly, they were often denied access to the state-controlled media.

It is time for the United States, and all decent people, East and West, to make it clear that these blatant violations of human rights will not be tolerated. While almost every other part of Eastern Europe is moving toward democratic reform, the Romanian Government is not.

I am before you today to ask that we, the United States Congress, urge that certain conditions be met before we even think about considering the issue of granting MFN status to Romania.

First, let us insist that a representative member of the American embassy in Bucharest be allowed to visit Mr. Munteanu with a physician to ensure that he receive adequate medical attention.

Also, that that physician ought to be able to examine all of the other prisoners that are held in the Romanian jails as a result of their arrest in this demonstration.

Second, if the Iliescu government is committed to upholding human rights and improving relations with the United States, let us see that the Government releases all, all 185 prisoners, including Mr. Munteanu, who were arrested in the June 14-15 protests.

This would be an opportunity for the Iliescu government in the spirit of reconciliation and peace and harmony to demonstrate its commitment to democracy, to show to the world that it really did care and was committed to democracy.

Again, it could be in reconciliation, in the reconciliation spirit, and we in the Western World will watch to see if they can seize that opportunity. Third, as a further sign that the Romanian Government is committed to an open, a multiparty democracy, let Members see that opposition parties are given equal access to the government-controlled radio and television stations, and see the establishment of new, independent radio and TV facilities. That access is essential for the growth and development of a healthy, multiparty system in the county. Also, the opposition press must be given the opportunity to have their own printing press, their own distribution system whereby the opposition press can get their newspapers around the country.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, if Romania wants to be accepted as a member of the international community, and I am sure it does, it must demonstrate to the world that it is serious about upholding the rights of its citizens. Nothing short of the release of all political parties and an end to the harassment of the opposition parties will suffice. The Romanian Government must shed its old ways of dealing with political opposition and commit itself to the pursuit of genuine democratic reform.

It is my sincere hope and prayer that the Romanian Government will seize this opportunity and release all these political prisoners, will allow the press and the radio and the TV and independent systems and allow the opposition newspapers to distribute their papers and have their printing presses. That, I would say to Mr. Iliescu and to those in the Romanian Government, that would send one of the most positive messages that they could possibly send to those in the West and in the free world.

Frank Wolf, USA Congressman, Continuing Human Rights Violations in Romania - speech, delivered in the USA Congress on 27.10.1990,regarding the oppression of the University Square protests and the arrest of Marian Munteanu.
Surce: The Library of Congress [Page: H5196, H5197]:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?r101:H20JY0-799:

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