Message from the part of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania on the occasion of the Holocaust Remembrance Day in Romania
"It?s a crime against humanity when people are killed for ethnic and political reasons."Today, we bring a devout homage to everyone who suffered because of anti-Semitic, discriminatory or racist policies during World War II. The Holocaust that took place in Romania, in those turbid years, must never be forgotten or minimized. It must remain in our collective conscience.
Nazism and communism were two totalitarian systems that used the same methods and structures, as well as similar ideologies, based on the violent exclusion of the ones considered enemies. Our mission is to recover the memory of those years, to gather data, documents and testimonials that would make totalitarian regimes responsible and, furthermore, to identify the perpetrators and bring them before justice.
It?s a crime against humanity when people are killed for ethnic and political reasons. The abominable crimes of the Holocaust do not overshadow the tragic that lies upon communist crimes. There is no competition, it is all about establishing a series of universal criteria, and about the way we relate to the two major totalitarian regimes that left painful marks on humanity and to their victims.
The remembrance of Holocaust horrors will be kept alive in the conscience of the citizens of Romania for the future generations to be able to bring forward such moments when we need to mark our regrets.
I am certain that together, once we will have completely assumed our recent past, we will be able to build the European future of Romania.
Marius OPREA
President of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania
Bucharest, 8 October 2006
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