The “10 August” case could be time-barred before the next court hearing, according to a Recorder investigation

The “10 August” case, concerning the gendarmes’ violence against protesters in Victory Square, could become time-barred, Recorder journalists claim in an investigation published ahead of the hearing scheduled for October 13. The case is at the appeal stage, after, in June, the Bucharest Tribunal acquitted the former heads of the Gendarmerie who had been indicted for abuse of office, arguing that the acts were not provided for under criminal law.

According to the documentary “How the August 10 case was buried,” 12 defendants, including former Gendarmerie chiefs Sebastian Cucoș, Laurențiu Cazan, and Cătălin Sindile, could escape criminal liability as a result of the statute of limitations taking effect. Lawyer Toni Decean stated that the statute of limitations could also take effect in the case of convicted persons.

Former chief prosecutor of the General Prosecutor’s Office Gabriela Scutea criticized the way the case is being resolved in the documentary, emphasizing that citizens must be able to exercise their right to protest. Lieutenant General Gheorghe Cosneanu, former head of the Military Prosecutor’s Office Section, said that the case represents another failure in an important matter.

The protest of August 10, 2018, organized against the PSD government and controversial amendments to justice legislation, ended with hundreds of people injured, affected by tear gas, or taken to hospital. More than 700 people filed complaints.