Romania's ruling party leader heard as witness in August 10 protest case

The leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, was heard as a witness in a case related to the violent incidents during the August 10 protest in Bucharest’s Victoriei Square. The General Prosecutor’s Office called Dragnea to hearings on Friday, September 14, after the PSD leader claimed on several occasions that the August 10 protest was an attempted coup. Dragnea also said last week that the anti-government protest on August 10 was financed by external forces, without presenting any proof to back his statement. Hours before Dragnea went to talk to the prosecutors, the Judicial Inspection apparently went to control the military prosecutors investigating the August 10 incidents, according to sources within the institution quoted by G4Media.ro. A protest organized by Romanians abroad in Bucharest on August 10 ended after a brutal intervention of the riot police and gendarmes were filmed spraying tear gas at the crowd and assaulting peaceful protesters and journalists. Liviu Dragnea and interior minister Carman Dan claimed that the gendarmes’ intervention was legal and the Gendarmerie even notified the prosecutors that the August 10 protests were actually an attempted coup. However, other state institutions denied this hypothesis. The August 10 incidents were also followed with concern by Romania’s external partners and the European Parliament announced it would discuss the situation in Romania in a plenary session at the beginning of October. Romanian Gendarmerie notifies prosecutors about coup d’état attempt at August 10 protest editor@romania-insider.com