Radu Filipescu (b. December 26,1955[1] in Târgu-Mureş) is a former Romanian anti-Communist dissident. He is the youngest son of Zorel Filipescu and Carmelita-Ileana Filipescu. His elder brother is Doru Filipescu, a well known orthopedic surgeon on Sf. Ioan Hospital, in Bucharest. Radu Filipescu is married from 1988 to Daniela Filipescu, anesthesiologist, head of an intensive therapy unit in CC Iliescu Hospital, Bucharest. They have a son, Radu-Zorel Filipescu, born on February 2, 1998.
During dictator Ceauşescu's regime he served several years in prison for "propaganda against the socialist order".
Radu Filipescu is the nephew of Victor Groza, brother of Petru Groza, a communist leader.[2]
Contents |
Radu Filipescu graduated the Bucharest Polytechnic Institute, Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications in 1979. Later he worked at Automatica factory until he was arrested in 1983, and after he was released from the prison, on 1986, at the IEMI factory, as electronic engineer .
Radu Filipescu thought that people in Romania were very unsatisfied with Ceausescu's leadership, but in order to prove it they have to be organized. He proposed in leaflets spread in Bucharest that people would take a walk on the streets at a certain hour on Sundays as a protest against the Communist dictator's regime. He made leaflets which he put into people's post boxes in Bucharest. This happened between December 1982 and May 1983. On May 7, 1983 he was arrested, and later sentenced to 10 years in prison. In December 1984 he was Amnesty International's Prisoner of the Month. On April 18, 1986 he was released due to international pressure on the Romanian government, made thanks to his family's efforts to make his case known abroad and by many non-governmental organizations, like The French League for Human Rights (La Ligue des Droits de l’Homme), "Internationale Gesellschaft für Menschenrechte" (IGFM) from the Federal Republic of Germany, "Le Pave" from Switzerland, and the efforts of politicians from Western European countries and United States . He served almost 3 years at Rahova prison, Jilava prison, and Aiud prison.
In that period there were in jail in Romania about 30 political prisoners : Ion Bugan (convicted at 10 years), Năstasescu Gheorghe (10 years), Lițoiu Nicolae (15 years), Dumitru Iuga (10 years ), Manu Gheorghe (8 years), Ilie Ion (6 years), Costică Purcaru (7 years ), Barabas Francisc (7 years), Barabas Janos (6 years), Borbely Erno (6 years), Olteanu Carol (8 years), Vlăsceanu Florin (6 years), Totu Victor (7 years), Gheorghe Magureanu (6 years ), Gherghina Gheorghe (7 years ), Ionel Nicolae ( 7 years ), Iancu Marin (8 years ). Dragos Oloieru died in prison in 1987, and Arpad Viski, died after he was released in 1986, under suspect circumstances.
In 1987 Radu Filipescu tried to organize a Referendum about the Ceausescu's leadership. As a result on December 12 he was arrested and kept under violent investigation by the Securitate officers. After a fast and strong reaction from Human Rights organizations and foreign radio broadcasters: "Radio Free Europe", "BBC", "RFI", "Deutche Welle", "Voice of America" he was released on December 22 ( 1987 ), without having been indicted. He was third time arrested on December 22, 1989, being released at noon.
In May 1988, together with other former political prisoners: Gheorghe Nastasescu, Filip Iulius, Iancu Marin, Carol Olteanu, Costica Purcaru, Totu Victor, tried to start a free trade union, called "Libertatea" (Freedom), but due to threats by the Securitate secret police, to those who tried to join the movement, popular support was nor achieved. .
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Radu Filipescu found the Group for Social Dialog, being elected its president (in 1998), founding member of APADOR-CH, founder and president of the Association of Revolutionaries Without Privilegies.
Radu Filipescu is the inventor of " the Parrot Clip" , a simple but efficient solution challenging the well-known alligator clip. The advantages of the Parrot Clip are an outcome of the new metal tip, which performs the direct contact and the connection with a spring-loaded steel hooked rod. The invention has the PCT/RO 91/00003 patent, the 0563234 European patent, the US no. 5457392 patent. The Parrot Clip was awarded the Gold medal in 1992 at Bruxelles World Fair of Inventions. Actual models are produced by Parrot Invent Company Radu Filipescu is the author of some other inventions patented and under production at the same company.
Radu Filipescu is owner and manager of the Parrot Invent SRL company.
Es gibt Dinge, die muss man einfach tun - Der Widerstand des jungen Radu Filipescu ( " There Are Certain Things Which Simply Must Be Done - The Resistance of the Young Radu Filipescu ") - is written after intense documentation in Romania in the period 1990 - 1995 by he German writer Herma Kennel. The book was first printed by Heder Verlag, Germany (ISBN 3-451-04446-3) in 1996. The book was translated in Romanian and printed by Universal Dalsi in 1998 with the title : Jogging cu Securitatea . A second edition was printed by Polirom publishing house in 2009 with a foreword by Ana Blandiana.