In the past five years, the Institute for the Investigation of the Crimes of Communism and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER) has investigated the death of 2,207 children caused by starvation, improper living conditions and lack of medical assistance in four of the 26 shelter hospitals and children's neuropsychiatric hospitals that were active in former communist Romania until 1990, the institute announced in a release on Wednesday, told Agerpres.
According to IICCMER estimations, more than 15,000 children kept in the 26 facilities have died between 1967 and 1990, with the Cighid shelter hospital standing out with the highest mortality rate: 160 deaths out of a total of 183 children put into this facility since its establishment on October 1, 1987 until April 30, 1990.
In 2017 and 2018 IICCMER filed criminal complaints with the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice over non-humane treatments applied during the communist regime to the children kept in the shelter hospitals in Cighid (between 1987 - 1990), Pastraveni (1966 - 1990), Sighetu Marmatiei (1973 - 1991) and at the Hospital for Children with Chronic Neuropsychiatric Diseases in Siret (1980 - 1989).
The investigations were based on solid archival documentation, the identification of witnesses, victims and possible perpetrators, the release states.
The institute came out with this information following the initiative announced on Tuesday in the European Parliament that brings together 19 countries in efforts to stop, recognize and prevent child abuse across the continent.
IICCMER said it will continue its special investigations into the activity of the communist-era shelter-hospitals of death and inhumane treatment.