Former Central Committee of PCR opens its gates to visitors in the presence of IntMin Vela

The gates of the former Central Committee (CC) of the Romanian Communist Party (PCR), currently the headquarters of the Interior Ministry (MAI) have been opened to visitors on Sunday, in memory of those who sacrificed themselves during the Revolution, 30 years ago.

"It's an important moment, because a lot of suffering has been there, a lot of pain and the public opinion doesn't know the area where many compatriots, many heroes of the Romanian nation passed through. It was my duty, as the Interior Minister (...) to open the gates and the Romanians be able to see what the revolutionaries suffered, all those who fought for democracy and freedom 30 years ago," Interior Minister Marcel Vela stated.

He announced that he has in mind transforming a part of the former Central Committee, today the Interior Ministry headquarters, into a museum circuit.

"This, too is a version we thought about, but obviously we need to establish some criteria related to the ministry's objective in terms of security and what means a scheduled course for the visitors, who may come in the future and see what their ancestors felt, the ones who sacrificed themselves in the Revolution," Vela mentioned.

President of the 21 December 1989 Association Teodor Maries spoke about a moral reparation represented by the gesture of the Interior Ministry, which is the second institution after the General Prosecutor's Office which does this. He was booed, at one point, by some of those present in front of the MAI headquarters, at which time a bustle around him was created.

At 12:08 a moment of silence was kept in the Revolution Square for the ones who deceased during the Revolution. At 12:09, when Elena and Nicolae Ceausescu took off by helicopter from the MAI roof, 30 years ago, the gates opened so that the visitors tour the building where the CC of the PCR functioned until 22 December 1989.