Alexandru Visineșcu, 88, faces charges of crimes against humanity for his role as the commander of the notorious Râmnicu Sărat prison for political prisoners.
Sitting quietly in a three-piece suit in the second row of the courtroom, he did not look like a man who was making history.
Visineșcu, who was commander at Râmnicu Sărat prison between 1956 and 1963, is said to have overseen an “extermination regime” and is accused of torture and having an involvement in the deaths of 12 political prisoners. He denies the charges.