Civil society demands sanctions against 1989 manslaughter authors

The leaders of some associations and commissions have demanded Liberal Bogdan Olteanu, speaker for the Chamber of Deputies, to have the lustration law ban access to public ranks to those responsible for the manslaughter in December 1989 and the fratricide in June 1990. They have also asked the MPs investigated for murders should be suspended.
The letter is authored by Sorin Iliescu, leader of the Civic Alliance, Vladimir Tismaneanu, president of the Presidential Commission to Analyze the Communist Dictatorship in Romania, Florin Mihalcea, leader of "Timisoara" Society, Teodor Maries, head of the 21st December, 1989 Association, Antonie Popescu, president of the 1990 Bucharest University Students League and George Costin, head of the 1989 National Revolutionaries Association.
The argument of their claim is that Romania's public life has been "infested" for more than 17 years by those involved in historical murders. (...)
Talks in late August
The speaker for the Chamber of Deputies has invited the authors to talks on the lustration law late this month. Bogdan Olteanu has replied by an open letter too, mentioning he is glad to see civil society's real interest in raising an issue many want to muffle to public attention and debate.
Bogan Olteanu argues in the letter: "The lustration law is one of my political objectives under the present mandate. I believe that, together with the electoral reform, this is one of the most important aspects of the political reform so much talked about lately. This is why I have many a time argued that this draft should yield. But I have also expressed disappointment with the twisting of the lustration law' main meaning as the parliamentary debate has been progressing with it".
The Liberal official expresses opinion that the project is flawed because of personal vendettas hiding behind law articles. (...)

Oana Rotaru
Ziua sambata 11 august 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english