Of all the revolutions that swept across Eastern Europe 30 years ago in the winter of 1989, the overthrow of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena, was the bloodiest.

But few communist regimes had been as brutal as theirs, dominating every aspect of daily life.

The uprising began in the western city of Timisoara, where a local pastor, László Tőkés, took a stand against the authorities and his loyal parishioners stood with him.

László Tőkés tells Witness History about the fall of Ceaușescu and how the revolution started outside his own house.

Witness History: The stories of our times told by the people who were there.