securitatea

Securitatea, commonly referred to as Securitatea Statului, was the secret police and internal security service of Romania during the communist era. It operated under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and served as the main instrument of political control, surveillance, and repression from roughly 1948 until the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Its remit included domestic intelligence, counterintelligence, border security, and the suppression of perceived threats to the regime, including dissidents, religious groups, ethnic minorities, and opposition political figures.

The organization relied on a wide informant network and pervasive surveillance in workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and institutions. It conducted arrests, interrogations, and, at times, coercive methods to obtain confessions. The Securitate also exercised control over mass media and cultural life through censorship and intimidation and carried out show trials to deter dissent. Its reach and secrecy left a legacy of fear and widespread human rights abuses in everyday life.

Following the 1989 revolution, the Securitatea was dissolved, and its functions were reorganized into post-communist security and intelligence structures, notably the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) for internal matters and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) for external affairs. In parallel, the CNSAS (National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives) was established to study and disclose the Securitate archives, enabling victims and researchers to access information about files and repression. The legacy of the Securitatea remains a central topic in Romania’s historical and political discourse.