Romanian Ex General Mihai Chitac To Discontinue Jail Term For Two Months On Medical Grounds

The decision can be challenged before the Military Court of Appeals.

The military prosecutor said the new report by the National Forensic Medicine Institute, made at the court's request, did not clearly state if Chitac's condition is so critical that his sentence must be suspended temporarily. The prosecutor went on to argue that the report should mention if the surgery can be carried out under watch, and requested that the Institute's analysis be extended.

Defense attorney Alice Draghici, replied that the new report clearly points out that Chitac suffers from a life-threatening illness and needs surgery. "This man must be admitted to intensive care and, later, to the cardiovascular ward. This can only be done in specialized units, so treatment under watch is out of the question," Draghici said.

The military court rejected the prosecution's request for an extended analysis.

On September 18, 2009, Mihai Chitac was released temporarily for three months, to undergo surgery. He returned to Jilava Penitentiary to carry out his 15-year sentence on December 18.

On October 15, 2008, the Supreme Court of Romania sentenced former high-ranking generals Athanasie Stanculescu and Chitac to 15 years in jail each.

Chitac and Stanculescu were first sentenced in 1999 on aggravated murder charges for ordering troops to fire on demonstrators in Timisoara city, western Romania.

In December 17-20, 1989, security forces fired at civilians, killing 72 people and injuring 253. A woman was run over by a tank in the city and 43 people were severely beaten by security forces.

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