Ioan Totu was a Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

n communist politician who served as the Vice Prime Minister of Romania

Prime Minister of Romania

The Prime Minister of Romania is the head of the Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled President of the Council of Ministers , when the term "Government" included more than the Cabinet, and the Cabinet was called The Council of Ministers...

, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania and President of the State Planning Committee during the reign of Nicolae Ceauşescu

Nicolae Ceausescu

Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...

.

Life and political career

Totu was an economist and member of Romanian Politburo. He also served as the head of the Romanian mission to East European Common Market (CEMA). He was generally known for his toughness, especially in his comments to US Department of State criticizing the Romanian government for human rights abuse. As a member of Nicolae Ceauşescu

Nicolae Ceausescu

Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...

 regime, he harshly criticized the U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz

George P. Shultz

George Pratt Shultz is an American economist, statesman, and businessman. He served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1969 to 1970, as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1972 to 1974, and as the U.S. Secretary of State from 1982 to 1989...

 for seeking to "weaken the positions of socialism".
Totu was appointed Vice Prime Minister of Romania on November 3, 1982 and served in this post until March 28, 1985. On August 26, 1986 he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania replacing a less experienced diplomat Ilie Văduva

Ilie Văduva

Ilie Văduva was a Romanian communist politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania from 1985 until 1986, Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation from August 26, 1986 until May 1988 and Presidential Counselor from December 1988 until December 1989...

. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Totu re-established Romania's relations with Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

with the purpose to expand trade and economic relations, and to play an international role in the Middle East peace process. His term in office ended on November 2, 1989 and he was appointed the President of the State Planning Committee on November 4 which he held until December 22, 1989.

Imprisonment and death

Totu was arrested during the Romanian Revolution of 1989. He was tried along with 24 Romanian Politburo members by the Military Court of Romania and sentenced to five and a half years in Bucharest prison. After conviction and imprisonment, Totu committed suicide by hanging himself in Bucharest prison on April 21, 1992.