Former prime minister Petre Roman, present on Friday at the Prosecutor’s Office with the Supreme Court in connection with the miners’ riot case known as ‘Mineriada’, claims that he and the government he was heading at the time were the target of violent acts committed on June 13, 1990. The prosecutors summoned him to inform him he is charged with crimes against humanity.
“I took note of the start of this investigation. It is about the case relating to the 13-15 June 1990 events. In fact, two events – June 13 and Mineriada. In regards to June 13, I believe things are clear, meaning that the violent acts perpetrated in the afternoon and evening of June 13 targeted me and my government. The Interior Ministry, the Bucharest Police and the national television station were attacked. The fact that, in September 1991, an even more brutal and bigger miners’ riot was targeting me and the government I was leading and we were the victims of that horrible and violent miners’ riot is a proof of this,” Roman stated, according to Agerpres.
At the end of October, President Klaus Iohannis signed the request to prosecute Petre Roman, Gelu-Voican Voiculescu and Victor Atanase Stanculescu in connection to the investigation of events that took place in 1990. The three were holding leading positions at the time – prime minister, vice prime minister and minister of defence, respectively.
In this case, former president Ion Iliescu, who was serving as president of the Interim Council for National Unity (CPUN) was indicted for crimes against humanity for deciding to violently repress the protest held in Bucharest’s University Square by requesting that the public be attacked in June 1990, and later summoning miners from Valea Jiului to the capital. The miners injured hundreds of men, women and students who were protesting in support of democracy.
