Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu, Romanian dissident, dies at 80
Constantin Ticu Dumitrescu, a Romanian dissident who spent many years in prison during the Communist era and later led the fight to open the files of the Securitate, the feared secret police, died Friday in Bucharest, the capital. He was 80.
His death was reported by Agerpres, the Romanian national news agency, which said that he had been released from a hospital two weeks ago after being treated for liver disease.
"We have lost one of the most powerful voices against Communism," Traian Basescu, the president of Romania, said in a statement, adding that Dumitrescu was "one who remained upright and dignified during thousands of days of prison and interrogation."
Dumitrescu, a lawyer, was declared an "enemy of the state" in 1949 and sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role as a member of the National Peasants' Party, which opposed Communist rule. He was held in prison or under house arrest until 1964.
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His death was reported by Agerpres, the Romanian national news agency, which said that he had been released from a hospital two weeks ago after being treated for liver disease.
"We have lost one of the most powerful voices against Communism," Traian Basescu, the president of Romania, said in a statement, adding that Dumitrescu was "one who remained upright and dignified during thousands of days of prison and interrogation."
Dumitrescu, a lawyer, was declared an "enemy of the state" in 1949 and sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role as a member of the National Peasants' Party, which opposed Communist rule. He was held in prison or under house arrest until 1964.