Parizianu Gioga – He had a heart of gold

“Parizianu Gheorghe. Gioga, as he was called, was a medical student when he was arrested. He was Macedonian. Full of energy and enthusiasm, he had a heart of gold”.

***

Despite the reign of terror that followed the escape from Cavnic, no one blamed us for what we had done, except for a few informers in the administration. No prisoner blamed us for the suffering that had befallen the camp. On the contrary, everyone showed solidarity with us and rejoiced at our success. They marvelled at our courage and even ascribed to us virtues that we were far from possessing. No one believed the various rumours that the camp administration spread about us through its informers: that we had been shot when we came out of the mine, or that we had been caught, tried, sentenced to death and executed.

Such statements, made in front of the prisoners in the camp yard, were the cause of rumours. There were murmurs of disbelief, ironic reflections and derisive laughter at the lies that Tămâie told. The anger of Tămâie and the members of the administration at this demonstration, considered an act of rebellion, was unleashed with the usual brutality. One of the victims was my good friend Gioga Parizianu, who was hit on the head by a guard with a metal rod used in the mine to measure the depth of the holes drilled. The rod, almost two metres long and made of flexible steel, hit him on the head, bent and its tip hit him in the eye. Bloodied and with his eyeball popping out of its socket, Gioga was taken to the doctor. For a long time it was thought that he would lose his eye, especially as he had no access to specialist care. However, nature, and perhaps luck, slowly and after much suffering, Gioga regained his sight.

***

Gioga Parizianu’s case caused widespread indignation, and the tension in the camp grew. One day, when the political officer told the prisoners, with the intention of frightening them, that all the escapees had been caught and shot, Gioga told him that he didn’t believe it, adding that he was happy that we had escaped and that he was praying for us to get to where we needed to be so that we could tell them what was happening to people in communist prisons.

Gioga was interrupted by a blow to the head with an iron rod, which for a long time was thought to have blinded him in one eye. Bloodied, Gioga Parizianu was taken to the infirmary and the political officer made his way to the camp gate, accompanied by the deaf and menacing murmurs of the prisoners who had witnessed the scene.

(Ion Ioanid – Our Everyday Prison)