File 10 August: Former heads of the Gendarmerie, acquitted. The decision of the Military Court, almost 8 years after the violent interventions
Judge Nicolae George Octavian of the Bucharest Military Court decided on Monday to acquit the former heads of the Gendarmerie involved in the violent repression of demonstrators at the August 2018 protest. The decision is not final.
It is about colonel (r) Gheorghe Sebastian Cucoș, former head of the Romanian Gendarmerie, colonel Laurentiu Cazan, former deputy director general of the Capital Gendarmerie, and colonel Cătălin Sindile, former first deputy head of the Romanian Gendarmerie, tried for abuse of office.
The only ones found guilty of abusive behavior were four gendarmes from the Bucharest Gendarmerie.
Four gendarmes, suspended sentences
They were each sentenced to one year suspended prison terms, but the sentencing is deferred. This means that the respective convictions will not be recorded in the record, if during the term of supervision the defendants will not commit other criminal acts. The four gendarmes must comply with a two-year supervision program.
The decision is not final and may be appealed.
File 10 August
The General Prosecutor's Office sued, in August 2023, the heads of the Gendarmerie during the diapsore protest of August 10, 2018, but also other employees of the institution for crimes such as abuse of office, intellectual forgery and abusive behavior.
The file was opened by prosecutors in 2018 as a result of the violence at the Piața Victoriei protest, it was initially closed by DIICOT in 2020 and reopened in the spring of 2022, following a protester's appeal.
In August 2023, the former heads of the Gendarmerie were sent to court by the prosecutors of the Military Section of the General Prosecutor's Office in the file regarding the protest of August 10, 2018, in which 312 injured persons are civil parties.
Colonel (r) Gheorghe Sebastian Cucoş, former head of the Romanian Gendarmerie, colonel Laurentiu Cazan, former deputy general director of the Capital Gendarmerie, currently an officer within this structure, and colonel Cătălin Sindile, former first deputy head of the Romanian Gendarmerie, are accused of abuse of office, according to Agerpres.
In the same case, 13 other officers and non-commissioned officers from the Gendarmerie of the Capital were sent to court: col. (r) Laurentiu Ciobanu Cristian, former battalion commander within the DGJMB, col. Răzvan Cătălin Popescu, col. Marian Ion Zăvoianu, lt. col. Adrian Costel Dumitru, mr. Luca Moldoveanu, Capt. Marius Daniel Mihai, Plt. adj. (r) Alin Belecciu, plt. Maj. Marian Cristian Bîrsan, plt. adj. Cristian Bolat, plt. adj. chief George Buzatu, plt. adj. Florea Carmocanu, plt. adj. chief (r) Bardahan Pavel Custrin and plt. Maj. (r) George Constantin Zamfir.
They are accused of abusive behavior or complicity in this crime.
According to the investigation, Colonel Laurenţiu Cazan, as commander of the action, as well as Gheorghe Cucoş and Ionuţ Sindile, as coordinators of the same action, are accused of having ordered subordinate gendarmes to intervene by force to disperse the crowd of protesters in Piaţa Victoriei – approximately 30,000 people.
According to the indictment and the technical expertise carried out by MApN experts, the law enforcement forces used against the demonstrators “a particularly dangerous arsenal: 63 hand grenades with an acoustic effect, 489 hand grenades with an irritating tear gas effect and 316 cartridges (caliber 38 and 40 mm) with an irritating tear gas effect”.
The prosecutors said that the forceful intervention of the gendarmes was illegal and unjustified, and the use by the police of rubber batons, protective shields, tear gas sprays, hand grenades with an acoustic effect and a tear gas irritant, can be considered as “inhuman” and “degrading” treatment.
