Mineriad
Encyclopedia
See also The 1990s: the rise and decline of miners' unions
A Mineriad () is the term used to name any of the successive violent interventions of miners in Bucharest
. These interventions were generally seen as aimed at wrestling policy changes or simply material advantages from the current political power. The term is mostly used to refer to the most violent mineriad, which occurred in Bucharest during the period June 13-15, 1990
.
(PNL), and other smaller parties. The manifestation was mainly aimed at President Ion Iliescu
.
The National Salvation Front (FSN) also organized a demonstration, bringing in workers from factories in Bucharest, many of whom reportedly were armed with clubs and crowbars. Even if the anti-Communist demonstration started out, and was intended to be, non-violent, the protesters charged on the Parliament building and demanded their resignation. After that, the FSN started talks with opposition parties. In the mean time, Ion Iliescu called upon the population of Romania to come to Bucharest to protect democracy.
came to Bucharest. In the ensuing confrontation, the PNŢCD and PNL headquarters were attacked and damaged. Petre Roman
, Prime Minister at the time, came in a military vehicle and pulled Corneliu Coposu
from his party's besieged headquarters. Iliescu and Roman then addressed the crowd, calming things and sending the miners home.
Opposition leaders and independent media speculated that the demonstration was manipulated by Securitate
and FSN. Miners maintain their relative innocence of the violence, claiming that the agitation and most of the brutality was the work of Iliescu’s government agents who had infiltrated and disguised themselves as miners.
Over the course of a month-long demonstration in University Square
, many protesters had gathered with the goal of attaining official recognition for the 8th demand of the popular Proclamation of Timişoara
, which stated that communists and former communists (including President Iliescu himself) should be prevented from holding official functions. Many people, most of them intellectuals, were dissatisfied with Iliescu's first government, made up mostly of former communists, because it implemented reforms very slowly or not at all. There had been a protest and hunger strike since 20 May, the general elections day, when the protesters were angry that Iliescu's FSN won the elections mostly because the opposition had no chance to mount an effective campaign, and that former communists were in power — the only other country of the ex-Soviet bloc in which this happened was Bulgaria
, where the Bulgarian Socialist Party
won a 52.7% majority. Some among the protesters in University Square grew violent and attacked the police headquarters and the national television station. When the police were unable to contain the violence, Iliescu appealed to the miners to defend the country. Special trains transported some 10,000 miners to the capital, where the miners violently confronted anyone they saw as opposing the government.
The official figures say that during the third Mineriad, seven people were killed and more than a thousand were wounded. However, some NGOs say that at least 100 people died. The newspaper România Liberă
said that on 29 June 1990 over 40 bodies were buried in a common grave in Străuleşti, near Bucharest. Conspiracy theories and rumors circulated as to the origins and development of the mineriad, with some believing that both the Romanian Presidency
and Secret Service
had a hand in it. Later parliamentary inquiries into the potential role of the Secret Service contributed to the widespread public mistrust of the post-Ceauşescu
intelligence service.
Government inquiries would show that the miners had indeed been "joined by vigilantes who were later credibly identified as former officers of the Securitate", and that for two days, the miners had been aided and abetted by the former Securitate
members in their violent confrontation with the protesters and other targets.
and from its balcony, Miron Cozma
, who at the time was President of the League of Miners Unions of the Jiu Valley
, said "We're going to Bucharest
". They commandeered a train and several thousands miners left toward the Victoria Palace
, the headquarters of the government. When they arrived, they found that Petre Roman refused to negotiate with them. Rioting ensued and lasted over four days. The Roman government resigned a day later. Before leaving, the miners went to the Chamber of Deputies
asking for Iliescu's resignation, but after Iliescu met with Cozma the miners left Bucharest. According to some sources, three people died and 455 were wounded during this mineriad.
at Costeşti
was crossed by the miners and near Râmnicu Vâlcea
a Gendarmerie
unit was ambushed by the miners. Reaching Râmnicu Vâlcea, they sequestered the prefect
of Vâlcea County
. Radu Vasile
, Prime Minister at the time, negotiated an agreement with Miron Cozma, the miners' leader, at the Cozia Monastery
, nearby.
On 14 February 1999, Cozma was found guilty for the 1991 mineriad and sentenced for 18 years in prison. The miners led by Cozma left for Bucharest attempting a new mineriad, only this time they were stopped by the police at Stoeneşti
, Olt
. In the clash that followed, 100 policemen and 70 miners were wounded and one miner died. Cozma was arrested and sent to Rahova
prison.
ed Cozma's sentence on December 15, 2004, a few days before his term ended, but revoked the decision two days later, having faced the outrage of Romanian and international media and politicians.
Cozma successfully challenged the legality of the withdrawal of the pardoning, and on the 14th of June 2005 he was freed by the Judge Court of Dolj county. However, on September 28, 2005, Cozma was sentenced by the Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice
to serve 10 years in prison for the January 1999 Mineriad, which included time aleady served. His request to be released on parole was denied on June 2, 2006. After serving the full term, Cozma was finally released on the 2nd of December, 2007, but was restricted from returning to either Petroşani or Bucharest.
Information about the first three mineriads Third mineriad article
A Mineriad () is the term used to name any of the successive violent interventions of miners in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. These interventions were generally seen as aimed at wrestling policy changes or simply material advantages from the current political power. The term is mostly used to refer to the most violent mineriad, which occurred in Bucharest during the period June 13-15, 1990
June 1990 Mineriad
The June 1990 Mineriad was the suppression of an anti-National Salvation Front sit-in protests in Bucharest, Romania by the violent intervention of coal miners from the Jiu Valley, brought to Bucharest by the government to counter the rising violence of the protesters...
.
28 January
After the National Salvation Front's decision to transform itself into a party, an anti-Communist demonstration took place in Bucharest's Victoria Square (Piaţa Victoriei), organised by the Christian-Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNŢCD), National Liberal PartyNational Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
(PNL), and other smaller parties. The manifestation was mainly aimed at President Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu
Ion Iliescu served as President of Romania from 1990 until 1996, and from 2000 until 2004. From 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 until his retirement in 2008, Iliescu was a Senator for the Social Democratic Party , whose honorary president he remains....
.
The National Salvation Front (FSN) also organized a demonstration, bringing in workers from factories in Bucharest, many of whom reportedly were armed with clubs and crowbars. Even if the anti-Communist demonstration started out, and was intended to be, non-violent, the protesters charged on the Parliament building and demanded their resignation. After that, the FSN started talks with opposition parties. In the mean time, Ion Iliescu called upon the population of Romania to come to Bucharest to protect democracy.
29 January
On the morning of the 29th of January, over 5,000 miners from Jiu ValleyJiu Valley
The Jiu Valley is a region in southwestern Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains...
came to Bucharest. In the ensuing confrontation, the PNŢCD and PNL headquarters were attacked and damaged. Petre Roman
Petre Roman
Petre Roman is a Romanian politician and a former Prime Minister of Romania. He served from 1989 to 1991, when his government was overthrown by the intervention of the miners led by Miron Cozma. Roman is a member of the Club of Madrid, grouping 66 democratic former heads of state and government...
, Prime Minister at the time, came in a military vehicle and pulled Corneliu Coposu
Corneliu Coposu
-Early life:Coposu was born in Bobota, Sălaj County to the Romanian Greek-Catholic archpriest Valentin Coposu and his wife Aurelia Coposu...
from his party's besieged headquarters. Iliescu and Roman then addressed the crowd, calming things and sending the miners home.
February 1990 mineriad
Less than a month after the January mineriad, another anti-Communist manifestation took place in Bucharest (February 28). Despite the demonstrators' pleas to non-violence, several persons started throwing stones into the Government building. Riot police and army forces intervened to restore order, and on the same night, 4,000 miners headed to Bucharest.Opposition leaders and independent media speculated that the demonstration was manipulated by Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
and FSN. Miners maintain their relative innocence of the violence, claiming that the agitation and most of the brutality was the work of Iliescu’s government agents who had infiltrated and disguised themselves as miners.
June 1990 mineriad
The Romanian miners of Jiu Valley were called by the newly-elected power to Bucharest to end the riots that broke up on 13 June 1990. As President Ion Iliescu put it, the miners were called to save the "besieged democratic regime" and restore order and democracy in Bucharest. The government trucked in thousands of miners from the Jiu Valley to Bucharest to confront the demonstrators. The rest of Romania and the world watched the government television broadcasts of miners brutally grappling with students and other protesters.Over the course of a month-long demonstration in University Square
University Square, Bucharest
University Square is located in downtown Bucharest, near the University of Bucharest.Four statues are located in the University Square, in front of the University; they depict Ion Heliade Rădulescu , Michael the Brave , Gheorghe Lazăr and Spiru Haret .The square was the site of the 1990 Golaniad,...
, many protesters had gathered with the goal of attaining official recognition for the 8th demand of the popular Proclamation of Timişoara
Proclamation of Timisoara
The Proclamation of Timişoara was a thirteen-point written document, drafted on March 11, 1990 by the Timişoara participants in Romania's 1989 Revolution, and partly issued in reaction to the first Mineriad...
, which stated that communists and former communists (including President Iliescu himself) should be prevented from holding official functions. Many people, most of them intellectuals, were dissatisfied with Iliescu's first government, made up mostly of former communists, because it implemented reforms very slowly or not at all. There had been a protest and hunger strike since 20 May, the general elections day, when the protesters were angry that Iliescu's FSN won the elections mostly because the opposition had no chance to mount an effective campaign, and that former communists were in power — the only other country of the ex-Soviet bloc in which this happened was Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, where the Bulgarian Socialist Party
Bulgarian Socialist Party
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev....
won a 52.7% majority. Some among the protesters in University Square grew violent and attacked the police headquarters and the national television station. When the police were unable to contain the violence, Iliescu appealed to the miners to defend the country. Special trains transported some 10,000 miners to the capital, where the miners violently confronted anyone they saw as opposing the government.
The official figures say that during the third Mineriad, seven people were killed and more than a thousand were wounded. However, some NGOs say that at least 100 people died. The newspaper România Liberă
România Libera
România Liberă is one of the leading newspapers in Romania. Based in Bucharest, the Romanian-language daily has a paid daily circulation of 40,000....
said that on 29 June 1990 over 40 bodies were buried in a common grave in Străuleşti, near Bucharest. Conspiracy theories and rumors circulated as to the origins and development of the mineriad, with some believing that both the Romanian Presidency
President of Romania
The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
and Secret Service
Serviciul Român de Informatii
The Romanian Intelligence Service is the Romanian domestic intelligence service. It is considered the descendant of the former Departamentul Securităţii Statului , of the Socialist Republic of Romania. The official decree The Romanian Intelligence Service (', SRI) is the Romanian domestic...
had a hand in it. Later parliamentary inquiries into the potential role of the Secret Service contributed to the widespread public mistrust of the post-Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
intelligence service.
Government inquiries would show that the miners had indeed been "joined by vigilantes who were later credibly identified as former officers of the Securitate", and that for two days, the miners had been aided and abetted by the former Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
members in their violent confrontation with the protesters and other targets.
September 1991 mineriad
The fourth mineriad began on 24 September, with the miners claiming that government had not lived up to its economic promises. The miners occupied the town hall of PetroşaniPetrosani
Petroşani is a city in Hunedoara County, Romania, with a population of 45,447 .-History:The city of Petroşani was founded in the 17th century...
and from its balcony, Miron Cozma
Miron Cozma
Miron Cozma is a former Romanian labor union organizer and leader of Romania's Jiu Valley coal miners' union...
, who at the time was President of the League of Miners Unions of the Jiu Valley
League of Miners Unions of the Jiu Valley
The Miners Union League of the Jiu Valley represents the miners of the Jiu Valley.-Membership:...
, said "We're going to Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
". They commandeered a train and several thousands miners left toward the Victoria Palace
Victoria Palace
Victoria Palace is a palace in Victory Square, Bucharest, built in 1937, which is the headquarters of the Prime Minister of Romania and his cabinet.-See also:*Government of Romania...
, the headquarters of the government. When they arrived, they found that Petre Roman refused to negotiate with them. Rioting ensued and lasted over four days. The Roman government resigned a day later. Before leaving, the miners went to the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
asking for Iliescu's resignation, but after Iliescu met with Cozma the miners left Bucharest. According to some sources, three people died and 455 were wounded during this mineriad.
January-February 1999 mineriad
The Jiu Valley miners left again for Bucharest, unhappy with the governmental reduction of the subsidies, which would result in the closing of the mines. The barricade installed by the gendarmesJandarmeria Româna
Jandarmeria Română is the military branch of the two Romanian police forces .The gendarmerie is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform and does not have responsibility for policing the Romanian Armed Forces...
at Costeşti
Costesti, Vâlcea
Costeşti is a commune located in Vâlcea County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Bistriţa, Costeşti, Văratici and Pietreni....
was crossed by the miners and near Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea is the capital city of Vâlcea County, Romania .-Geography and climate:Râmnicu Vâlcea is situated in the central-south area of Romania...
a Gendarmerie
Jandarmeria Româna
Jandarmeria Română is the military branch of the two Romanian police forces .The gendarmerie is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform and does not have responsibility for policing the Romanian Armed Forces...
unit was ambushed by the miners. Reaching Râmnicu Vâlcea, they sequestered the prefect
Prefect (Romania)
A prefect in Romania represents the Government in each of the country's 41 counties, as well as the Municipality of Bucharest.-Attributes:The main attributes of prefects are defined at Article 123 of the Constitution of Romania:...
of Vâlcea County
Vâlcea County
Vâlcea is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia...
. Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile is a Romanian politician, historian and poet.-Education and Professional Activity:*1967 - Graduate, with exceptional results, of the Faculty of History - University of Bucharest...
, Prime Minister at the time, negotiated an agreement with Miron Cozma, the miners' leader, at the Cozia Monastery
Cozia Monastery
Cozia Monastery, erected close to Călimănești by Mircea cel Bătrân in 1388 and housing his tomb, is one of the most valuable monuments of national medieval art and architecture in Romania....
, nearby.
On 14 February 1999, Cozma was found guilty for the 1991 mineriad and sentenced for 18 years in prison. The miners led by Cozma left for Bucharest attempting a new mineriad, only this time they were stopped by the police at Stoeneşti
Stoenesti
Stoeneşti may refer to several places in Romania:* Stoeneşti, a commune in Argeş County* Stoeneşti, a commune in Giurgiu County* Stoeneşti, a commune in Olt County* Stoeneşti, a commune in Vâlcea County...
, Olt
Olt County
Olt is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia . The capital city is Slatina.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 489,274 and the population density was 89/km²....
. In the clash that followed, 100 policemen and 70 miners were wounded and one miner died. Cozma was arrested and sent to Rahova
Rahova
Rahova is a neighbourhood of southwest Bucharest, Romania, situated in Sector 5, west of Dâmboviţa River. It is named after the Bulgarian town Rahovo , site of a battle in the Romanian War of Independence....
prison.
Legal issues
Ion Iliescu pardonPardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
ed Cozma's sentence on December 15, 2004, a few days before his term ended, but revoked the decision two days later, having faced the outrage of Romanian and international media and politicians.
Cozma successfully challenged the legality of the withdrawal of the pardoning, and on the 14th of June 2005 he was freed by the Judge Court of Dolj county. However, on September 28, 2005, Cozma was sentenced by the Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice
High Court of Cassation and Justice
The High Court of Cassation and Justice is Romania's supreme court, and the court of last resort. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of cassation around the world...
to serve 10 years in prison for the January 1999 Mineriad, which included time aleady served. His request to be released on parole was denied on June 2, 2006. After serving the full term, Cozma was finally released on the 2nd of December, 2007, but was restricted from returning to either Petroşani or Bucharest.
External links