President Iohannis on closing of August 10 file: We should go deeper with claryfing things in this case

President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, regarding DIICOT's (Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism) decision to close the August 10 case, that "we should go deeper with clarifying things in this case."

"When the August 10th incident happened, I had a very firm opinion that the measures taken by the Gendarmerie were exaggerated and, as a result, various reports appeared, video materials, and a criminal case was opened, which was analyzed by the DIICOT. I trusted the justice system in Romania very much and I, together with you, together with many millions of Romanians, we fought to preserve the independence of the judiciary, meaning that no politician should interfere in the proceedings, not even the President. I can only tell you some personal opinions and express my conviction that the Romanian judiciary will do justice and those guilty will be held accountable. I, as many other Romanians, we believe that it is desirable to find a deeper clarification in this case," said the President, at the Cotroceni Palace.

On July 15, DIICOT announced that it had ordered the closing of the file regarding the August 10, 2018 protests, both the part in which the Gendarmerie chiefs were investigated and the notification regarding an attempted coup d'etat.

In the dismissal order, the prosecutors said that the peaceful protesters in Victoriei Square did not delimit themselves from those who exercised violence against the police, but even had fun, which means that they can be blamed of a kind of moral complicity with those who were violent.

Moreover, DIICOT said that not all "collateral victims" of the violence in Victoriei Square were "innocent victims."