Legal Historical Excavations in the files of the former Romanian Securitate 1. The Analysis of a Tactical Plan

Abstract

The paper, which is the first in a planned series of articles, presents the initial findings of archival research conducted in declassified documents of the former Romanian State Security Department (the dreaded Securitate). In the context of his own family history, the author presents the contents of some of the documents produced during the secret service harassment and covert surveillance of Dániel Veress, a Transylvanian Hungarian writer and literary historian who was subjected to the political repression of the Soviet-style dictatorship in Romania. By describing the atmosphere of the period under examination and the state of privation of basic rights from a legal-historical perspective, the article illustrates not only the deeply disturbing nature of the abuses that still persist through their effects to this day but also the routine violations of fundamental human rights by the authoritarian police state.