The year is 1949, and within the prison of Suceava, a group of former legionary prisoners, led by Alexandru Bogdanovici, devise a façade to deceive the newly established communist authorities. They pledge to renounce political activities by forming the “Organization of Prisoners with Communist Beliefs.” One of the most sinister figures to emerge from this group is none other than future torturer Eugen Țurcanu. Sentenced to seven years in prison for fascist ties, these links never entirely clear, as Țurcanu had had communist affiliations since his student days in 1944.
Țurcanu and his comrades were transferred to Pitești, though they passed through Jilava prison first, where they met the mastermind behind the entire program: Alexandru Nicolschi, back then a general in the Securitate (the communist secret police). It appears that by the time they arrived in Pitești, they had already been instructed about the reeducation program aimed at political dissidents that would soon begin. This is where the true horror started, with this experiment serving as a dehumanizing brainwashing method by the regime, this time through beatings and torture. Eugen Țurcanu would become the spearhead of this program, embodying terror for every inmate at Pitești prison over the next three years.
The core principle of the experiment was based on the belief that anyone could embrace the ideals of the new regime under the right pressure. The torture, while physical, was more focused on breaking the victim’s psyche to transform them into torturers themselves. Humiliation was a key tool, particularly as the victims were opponents of communist ideology, whether liberals, members of the Peasant Party, legionaries, or religious individuals—both Christians and Jews.
There were three stages through which these activities were carried out on the prisoners. The first, external unmasking, was the initial interrogation phase where physical torture was used to force victims to reveal their connections with those outside the prison and to confess the most intimate details of their personal lives. The truth was not important; in fact, the torturers were well aware that the goal was to make the victims believe in a lie as if it were a real part of their lives.
The second stage, internal unmasking, aimed to force victims to divulge information about fellow prisoners and guards who showed any signs of humanity toward them. All this information was noted, and the individuals implicated were investigated. This became the Securitate’s favorite part, as they turned a blind eye to the ongoing acts, benefiting from the techniques employed later on.
The third and final stage, public moral unmasking, meant that the victims would have to abandon everything they believed to be right in favor of communist ideology. By the end, they were convinced they came from families of criminals. Yet Țurcanu was never satisfied, pushing some to confess to acts of incest involving their families. The ultimate step was for the victim to apply the same reeducation methods on their best friend, thus transforming the victim into a torturer.
This historical episode is not even about communist ideology or values. At the heart of the Pitești Phenomenon was sadism perpetuated through betrayal and brainwashing, a story that traumatizes anyone who reads about it even today. The punishments included ideological humiliation, especially toward predominantly religious prisoners, who were sometimes forced to baptize themselves with their own urine or eat their own feces from bowls on the ground while their hands were tied behind their backs. The hell of Pitești was nearly impossible to escape, not even through suicide, as there were no metal objects in the cells, everything being carefully managed to prevent such “escapes.” The estimated number of victims ranges between 1,000 and 5,000, making it the most aggressive brainwashing mechanism in the Soviet bloc.
In 1951, with the removal of the extreme communists from power in favor of the faction led by Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, the process was halted by the new authorities. Members of Eugen Țurcanu’s organization were judged for their abuses, with a total of 22 convicted being executed. A key detail is that these trials were conducted in secret, as the regime tried to cover up the fact that it had permitted such acts, blaming imaginary external agents like the United States, which had nothing to do with the Pitești Experiment. Thus, Eugen Țurcanu was shot in 1954, his final words being, “The Bolsheviks deceived me,” taking his secrets with him and leaving behind only the horror he created, while Alexandru Nicolschi escaped trial and died of a heart attack in his sleep in 1992.
Today, although there is a memorial at the entrance to the prison, much of the land is occupied by apartment buildings constructed after 1989. It is up to us to decide whether such spaces of terror should be physically preserved or simply remain in our memory as something that should never be repeated, regardless of the regime in power.
If you wish to find out more about this era, as well as to avoid unnecessary nostalgia, please visit us at the Museum of Communism at Covaci street, no. 6, Bucharest: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FXTPu6b6mmoEyNbK8
