Gheorghe Ghimpu remembered by family and friends on November 13

Gheorghe Gimpu, a dissident in Soviet times and one of the founders of the national liberation movement in Moldova, was commemorated on November 13 on the 10th anniversary of his death. His family and friends who gathered today at the Central Cemetery in Chisinau, including his brother, acting President Mihai Ghimpu, remembered Gheorghe Ghimpu as a national hero and a fighter for liberation. Poet Ion Hadirca said that Gheorghe Ghimpu was truly in love with his country, language, nation and history. “Gheorghe Ghimpu fought for his ideal: to rid his nation of communism, and this ideal kept his vital spark alive until his last breath”, said Ion Hadirca. The poet recalled that the circumstances of Gheorghe Ghimpu's death were obscure and said that they should be elucidated. Valeriu Gurau, one of Gheorghe Ghimpu's best friends, said he was a true militant, a true friend and brother. “He had suffered condemnation, humiliation, persecution and deportations but resisted them all with great courage. We lived in times of that occupation regime, which bore down heavily on our existence. So we were fighting against denationalization, against Russification and colonization which we never accepted”, stated Valeriu Gurau. Attending the commemoration, Romanian Ambassador to Moldova Marius Lazurca stated that Gheorghe Ghimpu was one of the outstanding heroes of the crusade for the cultural and national assertion of the Romanians in Moldova. “The presence here represents recognition of Gheorge Ghimpu's cause and acknowledgment of the results obtained today due to his efforts. It also represents a proof of Romania's confidence in the future of the Romanian culture and language in the Republic of Moldova”, said the diplomat. Artist Sandu Cupcea said he admired Gheorghe Ghimpu for his valor and righteousness. “He had the courage to say things which were punishable in those times, like Romanian and Romania; he had the courage to write in the Latin script, the courage to speak openly and publicly”. Gheorghe Ghimpu (26 July 1937 – 13 November 2000) was one of the founder of the National Liberation Movement, a dissident and later a politician in independent Moldova. He was the member of the first democratically elected Moldovan Parliament. He died on 13 November 2000 as a result of severe injuries suffered in a traffic accident which happened in obscure circumstances.