Second Romanian prison commander charged with genocide

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24655012

Second Romanian prison commander charged with genocide

Romanian prosecutors have charged a second communist-era prison commander, Ion Ficior, with genocide.

Mr Ficior was in charge of the Periprava labour camp from 1958 to 1963 where 103 political prisoners died.

In September prosecutors charged Alexander Visinescu, head of the Ramnicu Sarat prison between 1956-1963.

The general prosecutors' office said Ficior had "introduced and co-ordinated a repressive detention regime, which was abusive, inhuman.''

The charges followed the discovery of five skeletons from unmarked graves near Periprava.

Officials reported that there were no coffins, clothes or personal possessions near the bodies.

"We have clear evidence, which we gave to the prosecutors already, 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," said Andrei Muraru of the Romanian Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes (IICCMER).

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