ECHR compensates eight Romanian ex-revolutionaries for authorities’ failure to solve the Revolution file

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) compensated eight former Romanian revolutionaries with EUR 2,400 each for the Romanian authorities’ failure to solve the Revolution case within a reasonable time.

ECHR on Tuesday gave a new conviction decision to Romania in this case, thus answering the complaint filed in 2008 by Carmen Doroteia Alexandrescu, Ion Băroiu, Iosif Bălaş-Salcoci, Ştefan Boran, Marin Dincă, Laura Veronica Stoica, sculptor Vladimir Ciobanu, who set up the plaques with the names of the Revolution martyr heroes at the University Square, and Cristian Paţurcă, who died in 2011.

ECHR shows that the challengers have took part in the Bucharest riots during December 21-23, 1989, which led to the communism comedown.

The eight revolutionaries have been heard as witnesses in 1990 and joined the civil action in the criminal proceedings in this file, which was not solved even in 2008.

It was only on October 23 this year that the military prosecutors from the Prosecutor’s Office upon the Supreme Court have closed the 1989 Revolution case that has been investigating the death of 709 people and injury of 2,198 people.

Failing a conviction decision and a compensation action, the former revolutionaries and their heirs filed complaints at ECHR, which has compelled Romania during several years to pay damages of EUR 1 million.

On January 27, 2015 Romania was sentenced to pay EUR 832,500 to 81 persons, victims or heir of the army repression’s victims.