§ Mr. Temple-MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the fate of six Romanian citizens who recently signed an open letter to President Ceausescu; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Romanian Government have reacted with characteristic severity to this latest open letter, which calls upon the Romanian President to renounce his "systematisation" programme; to restore constitutional guarantees regarding the rights of citizens; and to put an end to food exports.
These are legitimate requests which merit a proper response. At least three of the six co-signatories, all of whom have held prominent positions in Romanian Government and party circles, have been interrogated by the Romanian authorities. They remain under close surveillance.
We are profoundly disturbed by the Romanian authorities' ever-increasing use of intimidatory tactics to stifle freedom of expression, at a time when other Eastern European countries are moving in the opposite direction. We urge the Romanian authorities to fulfil their commitments under the Vienna CSCE agreement and to respect the human rights of the Romanian people.