Prosecutors in Romania have charged a second man with genocide, for his role in running a communist-era prison in the country.
85-year-old Ion Ficor was the commander of the Periprava labour camp from 1958-1963, and was charged after 5 skeletons were discovered from unmarked graves near the prison site.
Andrei Muraru of the Romanian Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes (IICCMER) was quoted by the BBC as saying,
Muraru added,
85-year-old Ion Ficor was the commander of the Periprava labour camp from 1958-1963, and was charged after 5 skeletons were discovered from unmarked graves near the prison site.
Andrei Muraru of the Romanian Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes (IICCMER) was quoted by the BBC as saying,
"We have clear evidence... that Ion Ficior has implemented during his rule at Periprava Prison, between 1958 and 1963, an extermination regime for political detainees, through a lack of medical assistance, a lack of adequate food and the application of poor treatment to the detainees".In September, the head of the Ramnicu Sarat prison from 1956-1963 was charged with genocide.
Muraru added,
"Both former prison commanders, Visinescu and Ficior, are in their 80s and they can no longer be incarcerated. But they should get a conviction for what they did 50 years ago. That they have been degraded as army men, that they've had their pensions taken away, all these things are very important in a democratic society. We want to show the difference between the totalitarian system these men served and the democratic system that will punish them for it. Regardless of the system they served, murder is murder."The BBC also reported,
"On being charged, Mr Visinescu told prosecutors he was only following orders."