Another 20,000 files of deportees sent to archive in Moldova

Another 20,000 deportee files have been declassified and handed over to the National Archives Agency. The transmission was carried out during a solemn event, during which participants stood silent for one minute in memory of those who lost their lives after being deported to Siberia by Soviet authorities.

Interior Minister Daniela Misail-Nichitin said that the transfer of the latest files to the National Archives Agency represented an act of recognition, a step towards truth and a duty fulfilled towards those who had endured unimaginable suffering.

“We conclude a ten-year effort that brings peace to the memory of those torn from their lives and restores dignity before history. It is a moment of respect and responsibility. These files are more than mere documents. They are faces; they are stories of tens of thousands of families. They are lives broken and journeys brutally interrupted. (...) Dignified people who lived quietly in the villages and towns of Moldova were taken in the dead of night, foreign soldiers knocked on their doors and loaded them into freight cars, sent thousands of kilometers away from their country. Pregnant women, elderly, children who had just learned to walk were all labeled as enemies of the people and put on the so-called Soviet shame lists,” said the interior minister.

Attending the event, Prime Minister Dorin Recean noted that his own family had been deeply affected by the actions of the Soviet regime.

“Six out the 12 children of my paternal grandfather were deported to Siberia, and another three ones were forced to hide in Romania. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. Many families during the Soviet occupation suffered such dramas. The Soviets caused a great deal of harm to our families, to our country, instilled many traumas, but they did not succeed in taking our dignity or our wish for freedom.”

According to the prime minister, the next step is to complete the digitization of the archives.

“We owe it both to those who are no longer with us and to those who followed them to make the archives accessible to everyone. From now on, it will be much easier to see the deported families by name. We also aim to finish digitizing the archive, so that each family can find their relatives online. We must tell our children about our country's history, about the wish for freedom and our determination as a country to choose our own future,” added Dorin Recean.

At the same time, Minister of Justice Veronica Mihailov-Moraru said that authentic materials would be freely accessible to both local researchers and those from the USA, Canada and the EU, who have shown increased interest in the historical truth of our region.

“A society that knows its past is stronger, fairer and less vulnerable to manipulation or the repetition of past mistakes,” added the minister.

The process of declassifying the archives started in 2010. During 2010-2015, about 20,000 files were transferred to the Archives Agency, 15,000 from the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) and 5,000 from the Interior Ministry. Since 2023, SIS has transferred about 9,000 files in four installments, and in June 2025, the Interior Ministry submitted about 20,000 files. According to the director of the National Archives Agency, Igor Casu, all files concerning political repression during the Soviet period, not just the Stalinist era, have been transferred so far, with the most recent dating back to 1986.

“We commit to providing access to all 48,000 files by July 5, with each file containing details of several individuals. The file is compiled in the name of the family head. So, we have around 100,000 names,” said Igor Casu.

He specified that the full list would be published on the institution's website and to access the files, applicants must sign a declaration under their own responsibility regarding the use of personal data.