Many resounding names from the field of contemporary history research participated in the 2002 edition as well as numerous ex-dissidents and opponents from Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. Among them were Vladimir Bukovski, the Russian dissident now living in England, Bogdan Lis and Henryk Wujek, founding members of Solidarnosc and K.O.R., Petruska Sustrova, Czech dissident of Charta 77 Movement, Doina Cornea, Vasile Paraschiv, Radu Filipescu, Petre Mihai Bacanu, Mihai Creanga, Alexandru Chivoiu, Victor Frunza, Gabriel Andreescu, Dumitru Iuga, the workers Marius Boeriu and Danut Iacob (who protested at Brasov in 1987), the miner Vasile Caila (striker at Valea Jiului in 1977), Iulius Filip (Cluj), Gheorghe Nastasescu (Iasi) and other people who, with bravery, opposed Ceausescu’s aberrant dictatorship.
Also participating were political analysts, historians intellectuals and writers who in their presentations analysed the totalitarian phenomenon of the eighties: Alexandru Zub, Marius Oprea, Stelian Tanase, Adrian Niculescu, Ilie Serbanescu, Sanda Golopentia, Mircea Carp, Hans Bergel, Mircea Martin, Gabriel Dimisianu, Mircea Daneliuc, Mihai Zamfir, Bujor Nedelcovici, Cristian Teodorescu, Smaranda Vultur, Romulus Rusan, Ana Blandiana.
Last but not least, an important team of foreign historians: Stephane Courtois and Nicolas Werth, the main authors of the book Black Book of Communism, Thierry Wolton, author of the books KGB in France, Red-Brown – Century’s Disease, , Dennis Deletant, Mark Percival (England), Paul Michelson (USA), Anatol Petrencu (Republic of Moldavia), Helmut Muller-Enbergs (Germany) – author of a book published by FAC, namely STASI Agents, Informers and Spies in the FRG, Alexandr Stikalin (Russia), Libuse Valentova (The Czech Republic), Hildegard Buncakova (Slovakia).
In total, 130 speeches were made, most of them by young Romanian historians.
