Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania

The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania ( rum. Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului în România ) is a public institution that investigates crimes and human rights violations committed by the totalitarian communist regime in 1945-1989. In November 2009, by the order of the Romanian government, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania was merged with the National Institute for the Memory of Romanian Emigration ( rum. Institutul National Pentru Memoria Exilului Românesc ) at the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania and the Memory of Romanian Emigration ( rum) Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismuli în România şi Memoria Exilului Românesc ).

The main activities of the institute are the collection, organization of archival storage and publication of documents relating to the activities of the Romanian emigration in the years 1940-1989, the promotion of scientific research on the history of the communist regime, the collection of documents and testimony concerning the repressive actions of the communist regime, and their transfer to the investigating authorities to initiate criminal proceedings, the publication of information about crimes and abuses committed by the leaders of the communist regime ^[1] . The institute is headed by Marius Oprea ( Marius Oprea ), a graduate of the University of Bucharest, Ph.D. , archaeologist and historian ^[2] .

According to estimates of the presidential commission, whose report was presented by Romanian President Traian Basescu to Parliament in 2006, the number of victims of repression in Romania was from 0.5 to 2 million ^[3] .