Protests which led to the collapse of communism in Romania, and the death of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, began on December 16th 1989.

Protests which led to the collapse of communism in Romania, and the death of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, began on 16 December 1989. Followers of an opposition Hungarian priest, Laszlo Tokes, had gathered to support him in the town of Timisoara - but their protest prompted a violent response from the Romanian military. Zsolt Szilagy was there when the shooting started.

(Photo: An old man greets a soldier after the uprising in Timisoara. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)