Tudor Petrov-Popa
Encyclopedia
Tudor Petrov-Popa like Andrei Ivanţoc
, is a Moldova
n-born Romania
n politician, arrested in Tiraspol
in June 1992 by the Transnistria
n separatists.
who was convicted together with four other men in the so called Ilaşcu Group for acts of terrorism
including assassination
by the separatist authorities of Transnistria. The trials in 1993 were considered by many human rights groups as unfair and lacking in due process. Adding to this impression were the clearly political aspects, in that Petrov-Popa and Ivanţoc as well as the others were Romanian unionists.
On 9 December 1993, the Supreme Court of Transnistria found him guilty of murdering a representative of the State with the aim of spreading terror, unauthorised use and theft of ammunition or explosives, and assault. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
All members of the Ilaşcu Group are believed to have been tortured, subjected to mock executions, psychotropic substances, and forced to sign confessions.
Petrov-Popa, Ivanţoc and the others of their group were Romanian unionists who campaigned for unification of Romania and Moldova.
In 2004 the European Court of Human Rights
ruled that Moldova and Russia should end his detention as well as the detention of the other political hostages in Transnistria
, but the Transnistrian authorities did not comply. He was finally released on June 4, 2007.
He is a leader of the Democratic Forum of Romanians in Moldova
.
Andrei Ivantoc
Andrei Ivanţoc is a republic of Moldovan politician. He was among the four leaders of the Tiraspol branch of the pro-Romanian Christian-Democratic People's Party of Moldova who were accused of terrorism by the authorities of the breakaway Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic .- Biography...
, is a Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
n-born Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n politician, arrested in Tiraspol
Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
in June 1992 by the Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
n separatists.
Biography
Petrov-Popa was a Soviet army veteran of the war in AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
who was convicted together with four other men in the so called Ilaşcu Group for acts of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
including assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
by the separatist authorities of Transnistria. The trials in 1993 were considered by many human rights groups as unfair and lacking in due process. Adding to this impression were the clearly political aspects, in that Petrov-Popa and Ivanţoc as well as the others were Romanian unionists.
On 9 December 1993, the Supreme Court of Transnistria found him guilty of murdering a representative of the State with the aim of spreading terror, unauthorised use and theft of ammunition or explosives, and assault. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
All members of the Ilaşcu Group are believed to have been tortured, subjected to mock executions, psychotropic substances, and forced to sign confessions.
Petrov-Popa, Ivanţoc and the others of their group were Romanian unionists who campaigned for unification of Romania and Moldova.
In 2004 the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
ruled that Moldova and Russia should end his detention as well as the detention of the other political hostages in Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
, but the Transnistrian authorities did not comply. He was finally released on June 4, 2007.
He is a leader of the Democratic Forum of Romanians in Moldova
Democratic Forum of Romanians in Moldova
The Democratic Forum of Romanians in Moldova is a civic movement, which brings together over 120 NGOs, several leading public organizations of Moldova and a whole number of academicians, writers, journalists. In 2006, the organization claimed 100,000 members....
.