Student martyr Niță Brașov, in the communist dungeon
Niță Brașov was born on 25 March 1926 in the commune Măstăcani, in the former county Covurlui (now Galați). After finishing primary school, he entered “St. Andrew” Theological Seminary in Galați, from which he graduated in 1945. In the same year he enrolled at the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest.
After 6 September 1940, Niță Brașov was active in the Brotherhood of the Cross until the events of January 1941 (the Legionary Rebellion), in which he did not participate. After this period, according to the persecution of the Security Police, he was no longer active in the Legionary organisation. However, he was systematically followed by the Security Service, the Metropolitan Police and the Gendarmerie, and it was established that he had maintained his old connections and was not active in the Legion. He attended classes and lived in the theological boarding school on Radu Vodă Street.
During his studies, in 1946, he joined the Legionary Movement, as we learn from his statement of 21 July 1948: Nicolae Bordașiu was in the boarding school of the Faculty in Radu Vodă Street and after some discussions he suggested that I join the Movement. There were 2-3 meetings a week in the library of the student union. The meetings began with the oath, then the invocation of the dead, a verse or a paragraph from the New Testament was read, then a part of a legionary book, and then the discussion of the legionary ideology. At the end of the meetings the dues were collected, which, of course, had to represent 40% of the personal expenses, but we didn’t contribute according to these criteria, but we each gave what we could.
In the third year of his studies, Nită Brasov was offered the leadership of the Legionary student group at the Faculty of Theology, but he refused because, as he said, “it took up my time: It took up my time and I didn’t even see myself capable of leading it, with Vaman Constantin as its leader. That year there was a battle to collect food to send to imprisoned or sick legionaries. They were collected by Vaman Constantine. I also contributed some bacon. As a member of the group of legionaries studying theology, Nită Brasov contributed to the drafting of a manifesto to be distributed, entitled Christian Brothers, which said, among other things: “As a test for us, and as if to hasten their evil designs, God has willed that this year the day of the Great Saturday of the Holy Passion, to be spent in fasting and prayer, should fall on the same date as the day chosen by the non-Christians for their vain pleasures: May 1st. The non-Christians have not shuddered to learn this meaning; it is significant. For the victory they desire, for the red hatred they will bear in the streets, and for the mockery of Christianity and our Christianity, they are preparing now. Christians, leave the enemies of the faith alone, brand them with your contempt; leave them alone to cry out in the air to a helpless idol that calls for death. If we are united, their rage will be powerless and our victory will not shake them. Be united, Romanian Christians; May Day must be removed from its place this year! In Jesus they will not yet have the courage to strike”.
In the summer of 1948, the Security Service discovered the subversive Legionary organisation at the Faculty of Theology and began to make arrests. Thus, on 14 July 1948, Niță Brașov was arrested and detained at the Prefecture of the Capital Police in the group of Legionary students of the Theological Faculty. He was subjected to an extremely harsh investigation until December 1948, when the Security Service closed the investigation and proposed that Niță Brașov be tried.
On 12 January 1949, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Military Court of Bucharest ordered that he be tried for the offences provided for and punished by Article 209, point 3, in conjunction with Article 328 of the Penal Code, with the application of Articles 101 and 103 of the Penal Code. Thus, on 14 February 1949, Niță Brașov was sentenced by the Bucharest Military Tribunal, Section II, by verdict No. 210, to 6 years’ hard labour and 3 years’ civic degradation. The sentence became final by decision No. 1531 of the Military Court of Cassation and Justice of 7 June 1950.
After his conviction, Niță Brasov was sent to Jilava prison. Here he fell ill and was taken by ambulance to Pitești prison on 2 March 1949. Strangely, although he was ill, he was sent to a prison that had no medical services. Shortly afterwards, Niță Brașov was also taken by ambulance to the Văcărești Penitentiary Hospital. Suffering from tuberculosis, he was eventually transferred to Târgu Ocna Prison.
His illness worsened so much that on 8 May 1950, at 6:00 hours, Niță Brașov died of pulmonary TB, phase III.
(Adrian Nicolae Petcu – Martyrs for Christ in Romania during the Communist Regime, Publishing House of the Bible and Mission Institute of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, 2007, pp. 120-122)