Romanian Ex General Mihai Chitac Released From Prison For 4 Mos On Medical Grounds

Chitac's prison sentence has been discontinued five times so far, on medical grounds. Chitac was last released from prison on May 5, for 60 days, to undergo open heart surgery. At that time, the National Forensic Medicine Institute said Chitac must be released from prison to undergo the surgery, arguing he cannot be operated on in hospitals belonging to the penitentiary system.

Chitac and his family decided, however, to put off the surgery after doctors had said the former general's severe condition would make surgery unsafe.

On October 16, 2008, the Supreme Court sentenced former high-ranking generals Athanasie Stanculescu and Chitac to 15 years in prison each for aggravated manslaughter during the 1989 revolution.

Chitac and Stanculescu, both in their 80s, were first sentenced in 1999 on aggravated murder charges for ordering troops to fire on demonstrators in Timisoara city, western Romania.

In December 17-20, 1989, security forces fired at civilians, killing 72 people and injuring 253. A woman was run over by a tank in the city and 43 people were severely beaten by security forces.

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