Declic: UN Launches Investigation Into Romanian Gendarmerie Violence At August 10 Rally

According to the aforementioned source, a UN report on the matter will be finished and made public at March’ Human Rights Council meeting, and the organization is already in contact with Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister over the subject.

“In a letter sent to Minister Teodor Melescanu, he is notified about the fact that the UN received information indicating serious human rights violations at the August 10 rally. The terms of the letter are extremely harsh towards the Government and the manners through which authorities chose to treat the peaceful demonstrators,” the platform said in a press statement.

Declic added that the UN rapporteurs are urging the foreign affairs minister to respond to the accusations and to provide additional information about investigations made in Romania regarding the Gendarmerie's actions.

“Your Excellency, we want to make your Government aware that we have received information regarding the use of force against protesters, information which creates concern with regards to human rights violation in Romania (…) Equally, we manifest our concern regarding surprising statements made by Government officials, through which they tried to justify the actions of the Gendarmerie,” UN freedom of speech rapporteur David Kaye wrote in the letter to Minister Teodor Melescanu, according to the statement.

More than 500 people required medical assistance on August 10, 2018, following violent clashes between the Gendarmerie and protesters at an anti-government rally in Bucharest.

Protesters accused law enforcement of making indiscriminate use of excessive force, targeting peaceful demonstrators in the process. Prosecutors are currently investigating three high-ranked officials of the Romanian Gendarmerie for offences including disproportionate use of force and forgery of official documents, which they suspect were committed during the intervention.

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