Nicolae Ceauşescu, how we’re missing you

Yep, I’ve again reached the sad pass where, in order to pad out my content, I’m regurgitating casual comments made on other blogs. The following is from a comment submitted and (mercifully) published at Webdiary.

Does anyone remember Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu?

Nicolae was President of the ‘socialist’ republic of Romania from 1967, and his wife Elena was Vice Prime Minister from 1980, until they were together summarily tried and executed immediately following the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Among the charges were misappropriation of Romania’s wealth, and genocide.

The genocide charge apparently related to President Ceauşescu’s ordering security forces to fire on unarmed protestors. This was perhaps one of the more broad interpretations of the term ‘genocide’ ever to be brought before any court. But then, to call the military tribunal that condemned the pair a ‘court’ itself requires a fairly broad definition of that concept. (See ‘trial’ transcript here.)

And does anyone remember the day they were tried and shot?

That’s right, it was Christmas Day, 1989. Hmm, perhaps the second holiest holiday in the Christian calendar was not recognised in Communist Romania.

I wonder if there was, at the time, any handwringing among ‘the left’, say in Green Left Weekly, over the manner of the Ceauşescus’ demise. I personally don’t recall. (But then I would say that.)

Anyway, remembering the Ceauşescus, it did occur to me that Saddam Hussein could easily have been treated far worse than he was. And perhaps he can thank both Allah and the good ol’ USA that he wasn’t.