- Tudor Petrov-Popa
Tudor Petrov-Popa (born
1963 ), likeAndrei Ivanţoc , is aMoldova n-bornRomania n politician, arrested inTiraspol in June1992 by theTransnistria n separatists.Petrov-Popa was a Soviet army veteran of the war in
Afghanistan who was convicted together with four other men in the so calledIlaşcu Group for acts ofterrorism includingassassination 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 theEuropean Court of Human Rights ruled that Moldova and Russia should end his detention as well as the detention of the other political hostages inTransnistria , but the Transnistrian authorities did not comply. He was finally released onJune 4 ,2007 [ro iconRealitatea TV , " [http://www.realitatea.net/66039_Ultimul-membru-al-grupului-Ilascu--Tudor-Petrov-Popa--va-fi-eliberat-astazi-.html Ultimul membru al grupului Ilaşcu, Tudor Petrov Popa, a fost eliberat astăzi] (The last member of the Ilaşcu group, Tudor Petrov Popa, was released today)"] .References
External links
* [http://Ivantoc.org/white.htm The Ilaşcu Trial - White Paper of the Romanian Helsinki Committee - 1992]
* [http://Ivantoc.org Hostages of Russian state terrorism in Moldova - 2003]
* [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/eur/870.htm US Department of State - Moldova, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000]
* [http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/272 Moldova wants early release of Ivanţoc and Petrov-Popa]
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