As Romanians prepare to mark the anniversary of the beginning of the revolution which overthrew communism in 1989, prosecutors say they plan to question the former president, Ion Iliescu, about his role in the revolution. The prosecutors want to investigate allegations that Mr Iliescu gave orders to the army to open fire on demonstrators in and around the television headquarters in the capital, Bucharest, hours after the deposed President, Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife had fled and Mr Iliescu had been installed as leader of the provisional government. More than 80 people were killed, and hundreds wounded in the incident. Our European Regional Reporter, Jonathan Stoneman, has been looking into the case.

Mr Iliescu, who is now leader of the Opposition, denies giving orders or interfering in the activity of the army at that time. But, eight years after the revolution, in which over a thousand people were killed, many details of the events remain unclear. President Emil Constantinescu, defeated Mr Iliescu in elections in November 1996 amid promises that he would launch a full investigation into the events of 1989 and publish the truth within 12 months.

Prosecutors say they plan to question Iliescu

But the process of discovering the truth about what happened eight years ago is a slow and difficult one. One senior prosecutor has said that investigations into those responsible for causing the deaths at the television station could not be launched earlier because some of them had taken on senior positions in the state apparatus.

It's not only a slow process, but a controversial one. Earlier this week a man with a knife attempted to kill the former mayor of Timisoara, where the revolution began. The former mayor, Viorel Oancea, had been one of those investigating the army's role in the demonstrators' deaths.

Part of the problem is that it has sometimes been claimed that the revolution was not a spontaneous uprising, but that it was a coup planned by Mr Iliescu to put him and his aides in power. Many Romanians remain suspicious that so many people died after the execution of President Ceausescu on 25 December 1989.

Over 1,000 people were killed in the revolution

Mr Iliescu would be the third former senior minister to be questioned. Victor Stanculescu and Mihai Chitac, former ministers of defence and the interior, have been charged with ordering the army to shoot at demonstrators in Timisoara, in the very first uprisings of the revolution. If found guilty, they could spend the rest of their lives in prison.

Romania is not the only Eastern bloc country trying to discover the truth about deaths under communist rule. An incident in Poland in 1981, when miners were shot during a strike has been under investigation for the last four years. The trial ended last month, however, with the acquittal of the 22 policemen defendants. The court decided that there was insufficient proof of who fired the fatal shots - the army or the police.

As investigations continue into events of 10 or 20 years ago, few will be satisfied by a process in which time is making it harder and harder to find out - and prove - exactly what happened.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©