The importance of the Ilie Ilașcu case from a historical and legal perspective

Ilie Ilașcu is part of the generation of Bessarabian Romanians who made a name for themselves in the early 1990s by fighting for the Romanian language, Latin spelling and independence in those complicated moments of the post-Soviet transition. Thanks to his work in Transnistria, the Soviet-style breakaway republic that emerged as a result of the weakness of the young state of the Republic of Moldova in the context of the collapse of the USSR, he later suffered in the dungeons of the separatist regime. Known for his role in the fight for human rights in the context of a landmark trial at the ECHR, which for the first time ruled the direct involvement and responsibility of a state, in this case the Russian Federation, for actions that took place abroad, i.e., on a territory that does not belong to it but over which it exercises authority, namely Transnistria. During Gorbachev’s period of reform, society became polarized and divided, and in Moldova, the majority of democratic forces grouped together in the Popular Front of Moldova. Ilie Ilașcu was a prominent leader of this movement in Transnistria, noted for his defense of the Romanian language and freedom. In 1990, he publicly condemned the proclamation of the “Transnistrian republic”, which heightened political tensions in Tiraspol. Despite pressures and threats, Ilașcu continued to fight for the integrity of the Republic of Moldova, becoming an active part of the Romanian resistance in Transnistria. Arrested in 1992 and accused of subversive activities, his trial was marked by numerous irregularities and abuses. Ilașcu was finally released after prolonged international pressure and only after a resounding victory at the ECHR, the purpose of this paper is to present a brief biography of the man who decided to fight for justice and freedom in the face of oppression.