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Romania jails Communist-era prison chief in landmark case
Source: BBC
Romania jails Communist-era prison chief in landmark case
7 hours ago Europe
A former Communist-era prison commander has been sentenced to 20 years in jail after being convicted of crimes against humanity in the first such trial in Romania.
Alexandru Visinescu, 89, ran the notorious Ramnicu Sarat prison from 1956 to 1963, where inmates were allegedly tortured and starved.
At least 12 people are said to have died as a result of the abuse.
Mr Visinescu denied the charges, saying he was just following orders.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Nicknamed "the prison of silence" because detainees were held in solitary confinement, the facility housed intellectuals, dissidents, priests and others deemed enemies of the Communist Party.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
7 hours ago Europe
A former Communist-era prison commander has been sentenced to 20 years in jail after being convicted of crimes against humanity in the first such trial in Romania.
Alexandru Visinescu, 89, ran the notorious Ramnicu Sarat prison from 1956 to 1963, where inmates were allegedly tortured and starved.
At least 12 people are said to have died as a result of the abuse.
Mr Visinescu denied the charges, saying he was just following orders.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Nicknamed "the prison of silence" because detainees were held in solitary confinement, the facility housed intellectuals, dissidents, priests and others deemed enemies of the Communist Party.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33649800
