Is it a sin to have freedom of speech and freedom of expressing your political ideas? My family and I are originally from Romania, which is situated in the east part of Europe and part of the Eastern Block. My country was under Communist regime for over thirty-five years, from 1960’s to 1989, the year when my countrymen overcame the system. My grandfather was an Orthodox priest and my grandmother was a teacher, which were the most persecuted categories in Communist times. My grandfather made a speech during an evening mass, and that lead to his incarceration. The incarceration of my grandfather brought darkness over my family, and the deleterious effect, was unforgettable.
First of all, my grandfather was send to sixteen years of incarceration and from there, a chain of events generated. In the times of Communist regimen, it was a crime if someone was making political comment
s in contradictory, or if anybody was practicing religion. Usually priests were used only for funeral purposes, weddings and baptizing ceremonies. Nothing else! They were not allowed to address people in any matter, or to talk about the political time, and how that affected their lives. In the year of 1970 my grandfather, during one of many mass ceremonies he held, made a comment about the fact that the government had no right to take their land, and they should do something about it! By midnight he was arrested and was send to incarceration as a political prisoner for sixteen years. He was incarcerated in a cell, under the ground level where during the day his bed was lifted, so he could not sit. Through his cell the water pipes passed, so there was no possible way of sitting down. He had to live thru inhuman conditions, with no right of visiting.
After that more inhuman treatment followed, and our family had to feel the
consequences of free speech. My grandmother was banned from the Communist Political Group (in order to practice teaching, was mandatory to belong to a Communist Group) and their house was confiscated, but they’ve been allowed to live in it. The entire library that my grandfather owned at that moment became ashes in less than an hour. My mother was forced to leave the university, with no right of further education; they became the pariah of society. Activists were present everywhere, in every meetings or organizations and they had infiltrated every branch of the system. All the members of the family were left with no jobs, and their potential of being hired was very limited.
As a result of that, my family had to adapt to the critical moment of their life and all that they had was hope! Soon after, Masonic organizations start forming and also people started to listen secretly clandestine radio stations. They came in contact with the Romanian Intellect
ual Diaspora, with people that ran out in other neighboring countries, and they were trying to reach out to a whole nation that was suffering. I don’t have to tell you that if any of this was coming to light all these people, were going to vanish over night and if anyone was going to inquire, they also had to face death.
The incarceration of my grandfather brought darkness over my family, and the deleterious effect was unforgettable. My grandfather did not live the whole sixteen years, and his sentence was never reduced, but for my family and an entire nation, today he is remembered as a pioneer. All that my family can hope for is that none of the next generations, will have to go through the same unfair treatment. Generations before me had to live and tell about the dictatorial regime, and many of the people today still have painful emotional scars.
First of all, my grandfather was send to sixteen years of incarceration and from there, a chain of events generated. In the times of Communist regimen, it was a crime if someone was making political comment
s in contradictory, or if anybody was practicing religion. Usually priests were used only for funeral purposes, weddings and baptizing ceremonies. Nothing else! They were not allowed to address people in any matter, or to talk about the political time, and how that affected their lives. In the year of 1970 my grandfather, during one of many mass ceremonies he held, made a comment about the fact that the government had no right to take their land, and they should do something about it! By midnight he was arrested and was send to incarceration as a political prisoner for sixteen years. He was incarcerated in a cell, under the ground level where during the day his bed was lifted, so he could not sit. Through his cell the water pipes passed, so there was no possible way of sitting down. He had to live thru inhuman conditions, with no right of visiting.After that more inhuman treatment followed, and our family had to feel the
consequences of free speech. My grandmother was banned from the Communist Political Group (in order to practice teaching, was mandatory to belong to a Communist Group) and their house was confiscated, but they’ve been allowed to live in it. The entire library that my grandfather owned at that moment became ashes in less than an hour. My mother was forced to leave the university, with no right of further education; they became the pariah of society. Activists were present everywhere, in every meetings or organizations and they had infiltrated every branch of the system. All the members of the family were left with no jobs, and their potential of being hired was very limited.
As a result of that, my family had to adapt to the critical moment of their life and all that they had was hope! Soon after, Masonic organizations start forming and also people started to listen secretly clandestine radio stations. They came in contact with the Romanian Intellect
ual Diaspora, with people that ran out in other neighboring countries, and they were trying to reach out to a whole nation that was suffering. I don’t have to tell you that if any of this was coming to light all these people, were going to vanish over night and if anyone was going to inquire, they also had to face death.The incarceration of my grandfather brought darkness over my family, and the deleterious effect was unforgettable. My grandfather did not live the whole sixteen years, and his sentence was never reduced, but for my family and an entire nation, today he is remembered as a pioneer. All that my family can hope for is that none of the next generations, will have to go through the same unfair treatment. Generations before me had to live and tell about the dictatorial regime, and many of the people today still have painful emotional scars.
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