The rights and freedoms of Romanian citizens under the communist regime

Abstract

The issue of human rights rose in the years after the Second World War to the level of a political, social, legal phenomenon, with implications in all areas of human existence. Human fundamental rights and freedoms represent the legal basis of the modern rule of law. By contrast, in totalitarian systems, fundamental human rights and freedoms are not respected, even if very often they are provided for in the Constitution and legislation. During the communist regime in Romania, freedoms and rights such as: the right to life, freedom and safety, freedom of expression, the right of access to culture, etc., were repeatedly violated. If at the declarative level, the communist regime defined itself as a regime that reaches new heights in respecting fundamental human rights and freedoms, practice has shown that the regime, through its institutions of force, used criminal legislation as a form of motivation for numerous abuses. The purpose of this article is to highlight the political and social transformations produced within the legal institutions of the Romanian state, during the communist regime. In the preparation of this article I used qualitative research methods, using the analysis of scientific works and the study of testimonies.