Romanian Miner Riot Case Closed

Some of the case charges involved crimes that had passed their statute of limitations.

 

The prosecution office issued a press release stating that on October 10, 2008, they decided not to initiate criminal investigations against Ion Iliescu in the case involving four deaths by gunshot and the injury of another three people also by gunshots on June 13, 1990 during the miner riots.

 

According to case files, Ion Iliescu, acting as president of Romania, organized a meeting, on June 12, 1990, in order to set up a plan for the dispersal of protesters in Universitatii Square. The meeting was attended by Iliescu, the Prime Minister, the interior minister, the national defense minister and the representative of the Romanian Intelligence Service, and the decision was to free the square.

 

After the meeting, the interior minister came up with an action plan, which was approved by all meeting participants, and which was applied on the morning of June 13, 1990, when law enforcers proceeded to “liberate Universitatii Square,” without any casualties.

 

The plan’s objectives had been accomplished by 09:00 local time on the morning of June 13, 1990.

 

The events that ensued, when the Ministry of Interior and the Bucharest Police buildings were attacked, were not in any form part of the action plan.

 

The victims occurred, during the June 13/14 events, when live ammo was used in rogue fashion by individual units and was not sanctioned.