“Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu scoffed when a military tribunal sentenced them to death and even as they faced their executioners believed state security police would rescue them at the last minute, their lawyer said in a published report Wednesday.”
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Lawyer: Ceausescus believed they would be rescued
Jan. 24, 1990
LONDON — Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu scoffed when a military tribunal sentenced them to death and even as they faced their executioners believed state security police would rescue them at the last minute, their lawyer said in a published report Wednesday.
Nicu Teodorescu, in an interview printed in The Times newspaper, said he tried to prevent the Christmas Day execution of the former Romanian leader and his wife by advising them to plead mental instability to charges of corruption, embezzlement and the murder of 65,000 people.
‘When I suggested it, Elena in particular said it was an outrageous set-up,’ said Teodorescu, who was hastily summoned to a military barracks to conduct the Ceausescus’ defense. ‘They felt deeply insulted, unable or unwilling to grasp their only lifeline. They rejected my help after that.’
Teodorescu, one of Bucharest’s most prominent lawyers, told The Times that Ceausescu showed ‘absolutely nothing but contempt’ when the tribunal delivered its verdict of death, telling the prosecutor, ”When this is all over, I’ll have you put on trial.’ We all laughed.’
About 15 minutes after sentencing, soldiers frog-marched the couple out of the barracks and into a yard, he said. The Ceausescus believed they were being taken to a cell but instead were hastily gunned down by a rabble of soldiers, and not an organized firing squad, he said.
‘The first they knew they were about to die was when the bullets hit them,’ stated Teodorescu, who said he was about 90 feet from the site. ‘Elena and Nicolae fell head to head. As they fell their bodies spun slightly around and they fell close to each other, about 30 centimeters apart.’
His account differed from that of film shown on state-run television, which showed the blood-splattered couple propped up against a wall. The newspaper said it was possible the bodies were moved for the benefit of the camera.
‘Ceausescu was convinced all along his Securitate (secret police) would rescue him,’ Teodorescu was quoted as saying. ‘I always thought that Elena was the dominant force in the partnership, but I soon came to realize Nicolae was in command. They complemented each other perfectly, like a monster with two heads.’
The lawyer said he agreed to defend the Ceausescus because ‘it seemed an interesting challenge.’ The tribunal comprised three civilians, five judges and assessors, two prosecutors, two defense lawyers and a cameraman, reported Teodorescu, the only member to give a public account.
‘When I saw (the Ceausescus) dead, as a lawyer I didn’t feel anything at all,’ he said. ‘But as a citizen, I, like everybody, rejoiced. It was the most beautiful Christmas in my whole life.’
Teoderescu sustained a bullet wound in a firefight between soldiers and Securitate members as he returned to Bucharest, some 80 miles from the execution site. His 19-year-old son died during the revolt.
From my 2006 article:
Constantin Paisie, one of the Militia officers involved in the transport and custody of the Ceausescus later that afternoon of 22 December, makes clear upon whom the Ceausescus were placing their bets to rescue them:
“Sir, they didn’t know what was going on. Indeed, they gave indications that they were waiting for someone to come and take them away to some place in which they would be more secure, for, you see, first and foremost they were banking on the Securitate. I know that at a moment, Nicolae Ceausescu told me to take him to a unit of the Securitate, a special unit at Baneasa, but from the Militia and the Army he didn’t expect any immediate help.”[173]
Nicolae Ceausescu isi incuraja sotia, spunandu-i ca e vorba de un moment trecator si ca totul va reintra in normal? Domnule, ei nu stiau ce se intampla in tara in timpul acela. Intr-adevar, dadeau semne ca ar astepta sa vina cineva sa-i scoata din toata treaba asta si sa se simta ei mai in siguranta, dar, vedeti, ei in primul rand pe Securitate se bazau. Stiu ca la un moment dat, Nicolae Ceausescu mi-a spus sa mergem la unitatea aia de Securitate, o unitate speciala la Baneasa, dar din partea Militiei sau a Armatei nu se astepta sa-i vina sprijinul imediat. http://jurnalul.ro/campaniile-jurnalul/decembrie-89/ceausestii-au-crezut-ca-o-sa-i-salveze-cineva-71314.html
Here’s betting that the “special unit” at Baneasa in question was the one Marian Romanescu departed from above (page 39)—using a cover ID—the “Special Unit for Antiterrorist Warfare,” based at Baneasa…
[173] Constantin Paisie, interview by Marius Tuca, “Ceausestii au crezut ca o sa-I salveze cineva,” Jurnalul National, 18 March 2004, online edition. USLA training in the Baneasa area is mentioned in Stoian, 1993, pp. 85-85.
Nicolae Ceausescu told Nicolae Deca that he planned to “organize the resistance” in Tirgoviste.
from the 1993 documentary, The Last Day, by Arnaud Hamelin
The Archive of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 