Liberals' motion: Immediate resignation of IntMin, Gendarmerie management as national security priority

In the simple motion titled "PSD truncheons hitting Romanian democracy in the face" filed on Wednesday with the Chamber of Deputies, the Liberals call for the immediate resignation of Interior Minister Carmen Dan and of the Gendarmerie leadership.

"From the point of view of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the resignation of IntMin Carmen Dan, who has de facto coordinated the law enforcement intervention on August 10, and of the entire Gendarmerie management, is a national security priority: these people have proven that they are unwilling and unable to secure order and observe the law, including a series of key documents such as the Country's National Defense Strategy - which stresses that ensuring the citizens' safety is a national security interest. Tens of thousands of peaceful protesters have been hit and attacked with tear gas because of a group of provocateurs who couldn't be identified and isolated for hours. And we can also think of premeditation, if we remember that recently Liviu Dragnea and Carmen Dan wanted to vest the Gendarmerie with criminal investigation powers as well as with the guard and protection of the dignitaries. Esteemed colleagues, we cannot allow that our generation too accepts yet another miners' crackdown without holding those to blame responsible. We must never again condone the image of innocent, peaceful Romanians being hit on the heads with rubber truncheons. This is not the country we chose to build at the 1989 Revolution. Each illegal blow dealt on August 10 was actually a blow in the face of Romanian democracy, and the guilty must pay. Carmen Dan must quit today as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs," the motion reads.

"The law enforcement's blunt force intervention even harmed foreign citizens. Four Israeli tourists were dragged out of the cab and beaten by gendarmes, although they explained that they hadn't participated in the protest whatsoever and also showed their passports. Consequently, the Embassy of Israel in Romania announced they will file criminal complaints against the aggressors. Images and footage from the suppression of the August 10 protests have been shown in international media," the Liberals add.

The Liberals argue that the gendarmes took action on August 10 with concealed insignia, which is against the regulations, and resorted to intervention methods that are banned for use against a peaceful majority of protesters.

The PNL deputies point out that "the obvious goal of the PSD was to quash all debate around the incidents of August 10 and to promote all those involved in the clampdown."

"Physical integrity and every citizen's right to opinion and protest are indisputable principles under the rule of law and are guaranteed by the Constitution, but also by the international human rights treaties Romania is a party to. No Romanian can become victim or collateral victim to violent repression, regardless of the invoked justification," the Liberals conclude. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Catalina Matei; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)