ルーマニア革命から３０年、始まりの地で「自由の行進」

【ティミショアラＡＦＰ＝時事】ルーマニアは、故ニコラエ・チャウシェスク大統領の独裁政権を打倒した革命から今年で30周年を迎える。革命が始まった西部ティミショアラでは15日、「自由の行進」が行われた。（写真はルーマニア西部ティミショアラで、革命30周年を記念して行進する人々）
　大勢の参加者がルーマニア国旗を振りながら、赤れんが造りの聖堂まで行進した。１９８９年、この改革派教会の牧師テケシュ・ラースロー氏が、説教の中でチャウシェスク大統領の独裁政権を批判したことで追放された。
　テケシュ氏追放に対する抗議が革命の火種となり、欧州最後の共産主義政権を打倒した。共産主義陣営の東欧と資本主義陣営の西側を隔てていた「鉄のカーテン」は、８９年春ごろから崩壊し始めていた。
　現在６７歳のテケシュ氏はＡＦＰに対し、「人々が私の呼び掛けに応じ、教会に足を運んで結束を示すとは想像できなかった」と述べ、「この結束が、共産主義政権に対する抗議運動へと姿を変えた」と語った。
　テケシュ氏を支持する抗議集会の開始から２日後、チャウシェスク大統領はデモ参加者への発砲を命令。ティミショアラでは８９年１２月１７日、６０人近くが死亡し、２０００人以上が負傷した。
　政権に反対する人々は、同２１日に首都ブカレストに到着。翌日には、チャウシェスク大統領とその妻がヘリコプターでブカレストから逃亡したが、その後逮捕された。
　クリスマスの２５日、２人は死刑判決を受け、即日執行された。
　革命では計１１０４人が死亡し、３５５２人が負傷した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/12/17-09:25）

Romania kicked off a series of commemorations to mark 30 years since the overthrow of the tyrannical regime of Nicolae Ceausescu, staging a freedom march in the town of Timisoara, cradle of the 1989 revolution.
Waving Romanian flags in the torchlit procession, several hundred people marched to the red-brick temple whose Reformed Church pastor Laszlo Tokes was expelled for criticising the Ceaucescu dictatorship in his sermons.
A protest against his expulsion was the spark for the revolution that brought down Europe's last communist regime, as the Iron Curtain between the continent's east and west had begun to disintegrate in the spring of 1989.
I couldn't imagine that people would respond to my call... that they would come to my church to express their solidarity, Tokes, now 67, told AFP. This solidarity morphed into a protest movement against the communist regime.
A plaque beside the sanctuary's door reads in Romanian, Hungarian, German and Serbian -- the languages of Timisoara's different communities: The revolution that ended the dictatorship began here.
The slogans of 30 years ago such as Today in Timisoara, tomorrow across the country could be heard again on Sunday.
One of the marchers, 41-year-old Codruta Cesnea, said: We want the sacrifice of the youths never to be forgotten. I told my son that he must respect the memory of the revolution.
Two days after the start of gatherings in support of the pastor, Ceausescu gave the order to fire on protesters. Around 60 were killed, and more than 2,000 were wounded on December 17, 1989, in Timisoara.
History professor Adrian Kali, 51, said the wave of change exceeded his expectations: Today anyone can travel abroad, buy a car or a house.
He regretted however that young people seem to know little of the history.
Gerhard Ullmann, an engineer, disagreed that things are much better. Look at the wages, people's standard of living. Yet he said he travelled to Timisoara specially from Germany -- where he emigrated in 1994 -- to take part in the commemorations.
The anti-regime demonstrations reached the capital Bucharest on December 21, 1989. The next day Ceausescu and his wife fled the city in a helicopter before being arrested.
They were condemned and summarily executed on Christmas Day 1989.
In all, 1.104 people were killed in fighting for Romania's revolution and 3,552 were injured.