The first president of post-communist Romania was charged with the deaths of hundreds of people during the 1989 revolution.

The Romanian prosecutor's office has filed formal charges of crimes against humanity against the country's former president, Ion Iliescu.

According to the prosecution, at the end of 1989, Iliescu, by spreading deliberately false information through press releases and television, provoked armed clashes and panic among the population - this led to the death of hundreds of people.

In addition, in 1990, already as President of Romania, Iliescu ordered the suppression of mass demonstrations, resulting in the death of four people.

A court date has not yet been set.

• Iliescu was one of the leaders of the 1989 uprising in Romania, which resulted in the overthrow of the communist regime and the execution of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In May 1990, Iliescu was elected the first president of democratic Romania.
• Romania is the only country in Eastern Europe where the fall of the communist regime was accompanied by major armed clashes and mass deaths. According to various estimates, from 600 to 1300 people became victims of the events of 1989.