Former Romanian president, PM investigated for crimes against humanity in 1990 miners’ riot case
The Romanian General Prosecutor's Office officially announced the indictment of former president Ion Iliescu, former prime minister Petre Roman, and former deputy prime minister Gelu-Voican Voiculescu for crimes against humanity, in the…
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
The Romanian General Prosecutor's Office officially announced the indictment of former president Ion Iliescu, former prime minister Petre Roman, and former deputy prime minister Gelu-Voican Voiculescu for crimes against humanity, in the case of the Mineriada (miners' riot) of June 1990.
Along with the three, the former director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), Virgil Măgureanu, Adrian Sârbu, Miron Cozma, retired General Vasile Dobrinoiu (former commander of the Higher Military School of Officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs), and retired General Peter Petre (former commander of Military Unit 0575 Măgurele) were also charged.
Former president Ion Iliescu, now 94 years old, was questioned by prosecutors on April 26 at his home, as he is unable to travel.
Military prosecutors claim that in June 1990, not long after the fall of the communist regime in Romania, decision-makers in the state at that time, including Petre Roman, Gelu-Voican Voiculescu, aided by others, launched a policy of repression against the civilian population in the capital, resulting in four deaths, two rapes, and physical and/or psychological harm to over 1,300 people, with more than 1,200 individuals unlawfully detained, according to the press release.
The repression was directed against demonstrators grouped in Bucharest’s University Square who were advocating for former communist officials to be banned from the newly democratic state apparatus. They were also asking for the promotion of individuals without a party activist background, the establishment of a free television station, and other democratic demands.
In this context, Petre Roman, Gelu-Voican Voiculescu, Virgil Măgureanu, and other state leaders or members of the governing National Salvation Front launched an attack against the demonstrators present in University Square. The attack was actually a pretext intended to mask the repressive action against those who had previously participated in these demonstrations. The repression targeted any person who was showing or was likely to show any form of opposition, particularly students, intellectuals, or individuals expressing alignment with Western values.
"A scenario was constructed to lose track of the real attackers. An important component of this scenario involved manipulative public communication about the danger posed by the demonstrators. Given the scale of the attack, its implementation required the involvement of a very large number of people, all planned by those indicted," prosecutors say.
