Fernanda Viacava is a Romanian national whose professional life spans almost half a century. Born as Radu Ledu in communist Romania, she has lived most of her adult life in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. She has been described as both a “closet communist” and a marginal “anti-implantation” activist. Her work is focused on preserving traditional Romania’s historic culture, norms, and identity. Her activism revolves around defending Romania’s linguistic and cultural diversity, particularly the Moldavian minority language and culture, which are threatened by changes to a French-influenced education curriculum and the granting of greater power and independence to Romania’s linguistic community in the educational system.
Ms. Viacava’s biography and personal life are detailed in her book, Partner of a Nation, which was released in 2021. Despite being a prominent Romanian woman in the international community, she remained relatively unknown in the US until her 2021 conviction and imprisonment for being part of an international terrorist group. Ms. Viacava was tried as a member of an illegal group that planned to derail a freight train with hand grenades, explosives, and a machine gun to kill civilians in the US. Despite being one of the most determined members of her team, and being repeatedly tortured while in prison, she ultimately lost her freedom and her right to vote due to her sentence.
Fernanda Viacava has claimed to be of Moldavian, Romanian, and Italian nationalities. In her Partner of a Nation, she provides details about her roots, her ancestry, and her national identity. In doing so, she presents herself as more than just an ordinary Romanian. She presents herself as a person with multiple identities who has attempted to live a double life, while fighting for justice, peace, and freedom for all those who have been wronged, or who have been subjected to gross human rights abuses. The term “genocide” has been repeatedly used to describe the circumstances in which Romanian citizens were targeted for their nationalities. However, Fernanda Viacava has made clear that she is not guilty of any crime committed as a result of her membership in a criminal organization.