Yes, under communism, the slightest infraction was met with overwhelming punitive force.
= = =
Sometimes.
Sometimes there was capricious enforcement, to keep everyone on edge and uncertain.
Capricious enforcement.
A colleague of mine was at one time responsible for the electric power distribution in Bucharest when Ceaucescu was in power. The Genius of the Carpathians was known to play heavy head trips on people to test loyalty, or maybe that’s how he got his jollies. And one day it was Stelian’s turn. Stelian went from Romania to the US with nothing, started as a draftsman, and reestablished his engineering career here.