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Ion Iliescu heard in "Mineriad" case, in which he is charged with crimes against humanity
Former President Ion Iliescu arrived on Monday morning at the General Prosecutor's Office in order to be heard by the military prosecutors in "the Mineriad" case, in which he is charged with crimes against humanity.
When asked by the journalists, upon entering the General Prosecutor's Office if he considers he is guilty for what happened in June 1990, the former head of state responded: "Of course not." He refused to answer any other questions.
Last week, military prosecutors have heard several persons who were charged in this case — Gelu Voican Voiculescu, Miron Cozma and Adrian Sarbu, but also several witnesses, the most known being writer Andrei Plesu.
"Among the others investigated in "the Mineriad" case are the following persons: former President Ion Iliescu, former Prime Minister Petre Roman, former Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Virgil Magureanu, former Deputy Chairman of the National Salvation Front, former Deputy of Romania's Prosecutor General and Chief of the Military Prosecution Directorate General (in reserve) Mugurel Cristian Florescu.
Military prosecutors claim that in the period 11 — 15 June 1990, the defendants have decided, organized and coordinated "a generalized and systematic attack," launched against the civil population, against the manifestations in the University Square in Bucharest respectively, as well as against the population residing in Bucharest, an attack which involved the participation of armed forces of the Interior Ministry (MAI), National Defence Ministry (MApN), Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), as well as a number of over ten thousand miners and other workers from multiple areas of the country.
Former President Ion Iliescu refuzed to make a statement at the General Prosecutor's Office, where he was called in for hearings on Monday by the military prosecutors, in order to bring to his knowledge that he is considered to be a defendant in "the Mineriad" case, being charged charged with crimes against humanity.
Ion Iliescu stayed approximately an hour in the Prosecutor's Office headquarters and upon exiting he refused to talk to the journalists.
Instead, his lawyer Andrei Georgescu stated that the former President didn't make any statements in this case.
"He didn't make any statement. The criminal prosecution against him has started. He acquired a new quality, being a defendant. We are to prepare the defense. This case was reopened in 2014. It is a reopening ordinance issued by former Prosecutor General Nitu. We have to assess it, to see what lies there and to see the content of the case," lawyer Andrei Georgescu stated.
According to him, Ion Iliescu reacted "very well" when he was announced by the prosecutors that he is a defendant in this case.