The culture of memory and the values ​​of the rule of law, promoted during the round table at the INJ

On Friday, December 19, 2025, at the National Institute of Justice, the round table "Promoting the culture of the memory of the victims of political repressions" was held, organized in partnership with the Association of Former Deportees and Political Detainees from the Republic of Moldova. The event brought together candidates for the positions of judge and prosecutor from both promotions, as well as employees of the Institute, with the aim of strengthening civic and professional responsibility towards historical memory.

Ramona Strugariu, director of the National Institute of Justice, and Alexandru Postica, president of the Association of Former Deportees and Political Detainees from the Republic of Moldova spoke at the opening. The director of INJ emphasized the indissoluble link between collective memory and freedom: "Without remembering and without knowing what are the hardest, most traumatic and most complicated parts of national history, it is more difficult to understand why we have to defend our freedom, democracy, the rule of law and all the privileges we enjoy in a free world."

The expert panel included Dr. hab. Anatolie Petrenco, dr. hab. Anatol Țăranu and Dr. hab. Zinaida Bolea, who offered multidisciplinary perspectives on the totalitarian period. An emotionally charged moment was dedicated to the testimony of Elena Sajina, survivor of the deportations.

The interventions addressed essential themes for understanding the phenomenon of the Soviet occupation, such as the historical context of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact, the stages of mass deportations and the harsh realities of life in exile. The mechanisms of the organized famine in 1946-1947, the forms of repression and resistance in the USSR and the impact of transgenerational traumas on the psychological profile of society were also analyzed. In this context, the importance of cultivating historical memory by future judges and prosecutors was emphasized in order to prevent any form of abuse in the modern rule of law.

The activity was included in the objectives The national action plan 2025-2028 regarding the promotion of the culture of memory of the victims of political repressions.