Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n
human rights activist
A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...
and
political scientist
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
born on 8 April 1952 in
Buzău
Buzău (; formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu'') is a city in the historical region of Muntenia, Romania, and the county seat of Buzău County. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
. He is one of the few Romanian
dissident
A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...
s who openly opposed
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
and the Communist regime in Romania.
At present, he is professor in the Department of Political Science at the National School for Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA) in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, and an active member of several Romanian
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
organizations. He is also a prodigious journalist, writing and lecturing on topics such as
multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...
, national minorities,
religious freedom
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
, and
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
, the ethics and
politics of memory
The politics of memory refers to how societies construct, contest, and institutionalize collective memories of historical events. Often this practice should serve political, social, or ideological purpose. As a field of study, memory politics seek ...
and others. He is editor of the Romanian-language ''New Journal of Human Rights'' (''Noua Revista de Drepturile Omului'', formerly ''Revista Romana de Drepturile Omului'').
Physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
from the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest (UB) () is a public university, public research university in Bucharest, Romania. It was founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princely Academy of Bucharest, P ...
. He taught high school physics (1976–1980), then moved to Bucharest where he worked as a researcher for the National Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (1980–1989). During this period he published academic papers on
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
, logics, and mathematical poetics among others.
After the December 1989 anti-Communist revolution, Andreescu abandoned his career as a
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
to continue his activism for
human rights
Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
, democracy, and the
rule of law
The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
. His work as a human rights activist, political analyst, journalist, and writer blended with academic teaching and research.
Dissidence under Communism
Between 1983 and 1987 Gabriel Andreescu dispatched clandestine information on human rights abuses in Romania to
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
and wrote several
anti-communist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
articles and studies, some of which he managed to send and publish abroad. He was investigated by the
Securitate
The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...
(the Romanian communist-era political police) starting with 1979. He was arrested for his anti-communist activities in December 1987 and indicted for treason (but freed in January 1988 as result of international protests, and put under surveillance till the fall of the Communist regime). Nevertheless, he continued to write and dispatch letters of protest to the Western media (1988–1989). Some of them (e.g., ''Lettre à la Conférence de Cracovie'' (1988) and ''Le devoir d'ingérence'' (1989)) were published in the Western press (''L'Autre Europe'' and ''Libération''). In June 1989 he went on a
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
as a protest against the continuous violation of human rights in Romania. He was demoted and placed by the Securitate under
house arrest
House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...
in Buzău, then again arrested, to be released after the revolution of December 1989.
Activity after December 1989
After the anti-Communist revolution Andreescu became a member of the Council of the National Salvation Front, the first post-Communist governmental body after the revolution in 1989 (he soon resigned). He also initiated and was co-president of the Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Romania – the Romanian Helsinki Committee (APADOR-CH), where he also worked as expert on national minorities and
freedom of conscience
Freedom of conscience is the freedom of an individual to act upon their moral beliefs. In particular, it often refers to the freedom to ''not do'' something one is normally obliged, ordered or expected to do. An individual exercising this freedom m ...
and
religion
Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
. He co-founded and was president of the
Group for Social Dialogue
The ''Group for Social Dialogue'' (, GDS) is a Romanian non-governmental organization whose stated mission is to protect and promote democracy, human rights and civil liberties. It was founded in January 1990 and issues the weekly magazine ''Revist ...
(GDS), as well as founding member and vice-president of the Civic Alliance (AC).
Gabriel Andreescu founded and headed other organizations developing strategies and projects in support of human rights, among them the Ombudspersons for National Minorities, the Center for International Studies, the Center of Inquiry-affiliated Center for Critical Conscience, and the Solidarity for Freedom of Conscience. He was a board member of several other organizations (Hungarian Europe Society, Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center, Partnership for Equality, Open Society Foundation Expert Teams, Foundation for the Development of Civil Society), as well as a member of the scientific boards of other organizations.
Gabriel Andreescu also participated in international programs and
research
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
, including
:Near neighborhood at the Eastern frontiers of the future
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
(The Centre for Policy Applied Research / Europe Team / Bonn)
:Managing Multi-Ethnic Communities: Textbook for schools of public administration in Central and Eastern Europe (Local Government Initiative / Open Society Institute / Budapest)
:Improving Hungarian-Romanian Relations (Teleki Foundation / Budapest & Center for International Studies / Bucharest)
:International Mission of the Community of Democracies to Georgia
:Community Action Programme to Combat Discrimination: Preparatory Work to Establish Transnational Actions for the Development of Policy and/or Legal Responses to the Fight Against Discrimination on Grounds of Racial or Ethnic Origin, Religion or Beliefs, Disability, Age, And Sexual Orientation (EU Commission – Directorate-General Employment and Social Affairs).
As a journalist and political analyst, he contributed to several Romanian newspapers and magazines (''
Ziua
''Ziua'' ('', The Day'') was a major Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It was published in Romanian, with a fairly sizeable and often informative English section. ''Ziua'' was founded in 1994 by , eventually becoming foreign-owned ...
'', ''
Timpul
''Timpul'' (Romanian for "The Time") is a literary magazine published in Romania. Originally a political newspaper, it was the official platform of the Conservative Party between 1876 and 1914.
The publication is still active (2018) and publish ...
'', ''
Observator cultural
''Observator Cultural'' (meaning "The Cultural Observer" in English) is a weekly literary magazine based in Bucharest, Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast ...
'', ''
Revista 22
''Revista 22'' (''22 Magazine'') is a Romanian weekly magazine, issued by the Group for Social Dialogue and focused mainly on politics and culture.
History and profile
''Revista 22'' was started in 1990. The first edition of the magazine was prin ...
'', ''Opinia'', ''Altera'', ''
Cotidianul
The logo used between 2003 and 2007
''Cotidianul'' (meaning ''The Daily'' in English) is a Romanian-language newspaper published in Bucharest, Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern E ...
'' etc.); between 1994 and 2004 he wrote for ''
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
''.
Awards
In recognition of his human rights activism and contribution to the development of Romanian
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.http://www.cdep.ro/pls/legis/legis_pck.htp_act_text?idt=25524.
:First Prize for the study "A Romanian Conception of Federal Europe", co-authored with Adrian Severin (Open Society Foundation, 2000)
:The Third Millennium Prize (Partida Romilor, 1999)
:Pro Amicitia (Association of Magyar Journalists in Romania, 1994 and 1998)
International awards
:JSRI Award (Field: Religion and Politics, 2012)
:Petofi Sandor Award 21st Century Institute Budapest, 2009)
:European Journalist (Delegation of the Commission of the European Union, 1996)
:Pro Minoritate (from the Hungarian Government, 1995)
:Human Rights Monitor Award (Human Rights Watch, 1990)
Publications
Gabriel Andreescu published more than 1000 articles, 150 studies, 28 books, and contributed to several collective volumes. Some of his works were translated into English, German, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian.
Books
* Existenţa prin cultură. Represiune, colaboraţionism şi rezistenţă intelectuală sub regimul communist, Polirom, Iaşi, 2015
* MISA. Radiografia unei represiuni, Polirom, Iași, 2013
* Cărturari, opozanți și documente. Manipularea Arhivei Securității, Polirom, Iași, 2013
* L-am urât pe Ceaușescu. Ani, oameni, dissidență, Polirom, Iaşi, 2009
* Reprimarea mişcării yoga în anii '80, Polirom, Iaşi, 2008
* Schimbări ale hărţii etnice a României, Centrul pentru Diversitate Etnoculturală, Cluj, 2005
* Naţiuni și minorităţi, Polirom, Iași, 2004
* Extremismul de dreapta în România / Right-Wing Extremism in Romania, Centrul pentru Diversitate Etnoculturală, Cluj 2003 omanian and English* Pages from the Romanian-Hungarian Reconciliation: 1989–1999. The Role of Civic Organizations, Institute of International Education, Washington, 2001
* Polemici neortodoxe, Noesis, Bucharest, 2001
* Ruleta. Români și maghiari, 1990–2000, Polirom, Iaşi, 2001
* Locurile unde se construiește Europa. Adrian Severin în Dialog cu Gabriel Andreescu, Polirom, Iaşi, 2000
* Solidaritatea alergătorilor de cursã lungã, Polirom, Iaşi, 1998
* Patru ani de Revoluție, Litera, Bucureşţi, 1994
* Cel mai iubit dintre ambasadori. Coen Stork în dialog cu Gabriel Andreescu, All, București, 1993
* Spre o filozofie a dissidenței, Litera, București, 1992
* Sistemele axiomatice ale logicii limbajului natural. Funcții și operaționalizare, All, București, 1992
Co-authored volumes
* Comentarii la Constituția României, Polirom, Iaşi, 2010
* Accesul la informaţie în România / Access to Information in Romania, Centrul pentru Drepturile Omului, Bucharest, 1996 omanian and English* Evoluţia concepţiei U.D.M.R. privind drepturile minoritãţii maghiare, Centrul pentru Drepturile Omului / Evolutions in the D.AH.R. Conception on Hungarian Minority Rights, Bucharest, 1995 omanian and English* Concepţia U.D.M.R. privind drepturile minoritãţilor naţionale / Study on the Conception of D.A.H.R. on the Rights of National Minorities, Centrul pentru Drepturile Omului, Bucharest, 1994 omanian and English
Edited volumes
* (co-editor) Doctrina internaţională a tratării trecutului communist, C.H. Beck, București, 2016
* (co-editor) Ultimul deceniu communist. Scrisori către radio Europa liberă. Vol. II.1986-1989, Polirom, Iaşi, 2014
* (co-editor) Ultimul deceniu communist. Scrisori către radio Europa liberă. Vol. I.1979-1985, Polirom, Iaşi, 2010 (L`ultimo decennio comunista, Ed. Pavesiana, 2014)
* Tătarii din România: teme identitare / Tartars in Romania: Problems of Identity, Center for Human Rights, Bucharest, 2005 omanian and English* (co-editor) Problema transilvană, Polirom, Iaşi, 1999
* Naționaliști, antinaționaliști. O polemicã în publicistica româneascã, Polirom, Iași, 1996
* România versus România, Clavis, București, 1996
Selected articles in books
* "The emergence of a new radical right power: the Romanian Orthodox Church", in Michael Minkenberg (ed.), Transforming the Transformation? The East European Radical Right in the Political Process, Routledge, London, 2015
* "The Romanian State on State-Church Relations", in Natalia Vlas and Vasile Boari (eds.), Religion and Politics in the 21st Century: Global and Local Reflections, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, 2013, pp. 236–274
* "Passive / aggressive symbols in the public school: religious displays in the Council of Europe and the United States, with a special focus on Romania" in Jeroen Temperman, The Lautsi Papers: Multidisciplinary Reflections on Religious Symbols in the Public School Classroom, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Hotei, 2012, pp. 267–299.
* "Multiculturalismul", în Mihaela Miroiu (coord.), Ideologii politice actuale. Semnificații, evoluții și impact, Polirom, Iași, 2012, pp. 261–304.
* "Melodrama forului. Documentele Securității despre identitatea și rezistența intelectualilor", Vasile Boari, Natalia Vlas, Radu Murea (coord.), Intelectualii și puterea, Institutul European, Iași, 2012, pp. 167–209.
* "Douăzeci de ani de democrație anarhică", în Vasile Boari, Natalia Vas, Radu Murea (coord.), România după douăzeci de ani, Institutul European, Iași, 2011.
* "20 de ani de războaie culturale. Victoria junk-conservatorismului", in Sorin Adam Matei, Mona Momescu (eds.), Idolii forului. De ce o clasă de mjloc a spiritului e de preferat "elitei" intelectualilor publici?, Corint, București, 2010
* "The Paradox of National Identity: Its Cultural-Political Power vs. Its Theoretical Poverty", in Vasile Boari and Sergiu Gherghina (eds.), Weighting Differences: Romanian Identity in the Wider European Context, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, 2009
* "Ellenzéki lét Romániában", in Dimenziók Éve (eds.), 1968, XX. Század Intézet, Budapest, 2008
* "Campaniile de presă: cum ajung adversarii la consens", in Ilie Rad (ed.), Forme ale manipulării prin presă, Tribuna, Cluj-Napoca, 2008
* "Raportul: ansamblul şi detaliile", in Vasile Ernu, Costi Rogozanu, Ciprian Şiulea, Ovidiu Ţichindelean (eds.), Iluzia anticomunismului. Lecturi critice ale Raportului Tismăneanu, Cartier, Chişinău, 2008
* "A Functional Approach. Collective and Individual Rights", in Stanisław Parzymies, OSCE and Minorities. Assessment and Prospects, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, Warsaw, 2007
* "Romania", in Cas Mudde (ed.) Racist Extremism in Central and Eastern Europe, Routledge, London and New York, 2005
* "Necesitatea şi detaliile unei legi privind regimul cultelor şi libertatea de conştiinţă", in Sandu Frunză (ed.) Paşi spre integare. Religie şi drepturile omului în România, Limes, Cluj, 2004
* "A múltfeldolgozás modelljei", ("Access to the Securitate archives in Romania") in Gábor Halmai (ed.), Űgynőkők és akták, SOROS Alopétráy, Budapest, 2003
* “Multiculturalismul normativ”, in Rudolf Polenda, François Ruegg, Călin Rus (eds.), Interculturalitate. Cercetări şi perspective româneşti, Presa Universitară Clujeană, Cluj, 2002
* “Paths of Secularisation in Eastern Europe: The Church-State Dispute in Romania“, in T.Lipovatz, N. Demertzis, V. Georgiadou (eds.), Religions and Politics in the Age of Modernity, Kritiki, Athens, 2002
* “Universal Thought, Eastern Facts: Scrutinizing National Minority Rights in Romania”, in Will Kymlicka, Magda Opalski (eds.), Can Liberal Pluralism be Exported? Western Political Theory and Ethnic Relations in Eastern Europe, Oxford University Press, New York, 2001
* “Un concept românesc al Europei Federale“, in Un concept al viitorului Uniunii Europene, Polirom, Iaşi, 2001
* “Die Beziehungen zu Moldova und Ukraine aus der Perspektive einer zukunftigen Schengen-Grenze“, in Iris Kempe, Wim van Meurs, Barbara von Ow (eds.), Die EU-Beitrittsstaaten und ihre ostlichen Nachbarn, Bertelsmann Stiftung, 1999