After the cession of Bessarabia to the Soviets, Romania's secret services embarked on a full-scale repression of communists activists and sympathizers. Many of them were arrested and sent to prison camps such as the one in Miercurea Ciuc. This consolidated a "prison faction" of the party, under Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, but cut the party loose from its contacts with Comintern sponsors. Still working underground as a secretary of the Bucharest party bureau, Gheorghe sided with Gheorghiu-Dej and Emil Bodnăraș, maneuvering against the General Secretary, Ștefan Foriș. The two sides of this internecine conflict accused each other of being spies for the Siguranța.