President Klaus Iohannis recently approved the criminal prosecution of former prime minister Petre Roman and former deputy prime minister Gelu-Voican Voiculescu in the case targeting the June 1990 miners' riot (Mineriada), for crimes against humanity. The approved documents were forwarded to the Ministry of Justice.

Petre Roman was the prime minister of Romania from December 1989 - June 1990, while Voiculescu was deputy PM in the same period.

Military prosecutors cited by HotNews say that on June 11 and 12, 1990, state authorities decided to launch a violent attack against demonstrators in University Square, Bucharest. The latter were primarily advocating for former communist officials to be banned from the newly democratic state apparatus. In the attack, forces of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Defense, and SRI, as well as over 10,000 miners and other workers from various regions of the country, were illegally involved. 

The attack took place on the morning of June 13, 1990, resulting in the deaths of 4 people, and the injuring of 1,388 people. A further 1,250 were detained illegally.  

A document declassified in 2017 showed that the Romanian army provided food and clothing to the miners who were involved in the events of June 13 – June 15, 1990. The army documents from the time note that the miners “helped reinstate order in the country’s capital.”

Former president Ion Iliescu was sent to court in June 2017 in the same case and was indicted for crimes against humanity. Iliescu is believed to have called the miners to attack the protesters in Bucharest.

Former Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) director Virgil Magureanu was also sent to court on the same charge of crimes against humanity, along with Roman and Voiculescu. Other former officials involved in the crackdown were sent to court, including Adrian Sarbu, PM Petre Roman’s chief of staff, and Miron Cozma, the leader of the miners’ union.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | George Călin)