Star of Romania Order conferred on three Ilascu Group political prisoners

President of Romania Traian Basescu has decorated Andrei Ivantoc, Alexandru Lesco and Tudor Petrov Popa with the National Order “Star of Romania” at the Cotroceni Palace on Tuesday, July 3. According to the Romanian President’s Office, Basescu spoke about “patriotism, heroism, desire to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the nation” proven by those three former political prisoners. “There are people who besides their love for the Romanian land, love for the Romanian people, and love for Romanians wrote the history during peace time for a country which was once part of Romania”, the Romanian head of state said. At the same time, Basescu said that such persons prove that, although there are state borders between Romania and Moldova, there are things which can not be separated by any borders”. The Romanian cultural vein, the common roots, common love for the Motherland, all these are realities which those three, together with Ilie Ilascu proved to the Romanian people, Basescu added. Andrei Ivantoc, Alexandru Lesco and Tudor Petrov Popa, alonside other persons of the so-called “Ilascu Group”, were arrested and convicted by the illegal Transnistrian authorities. Alexandru Lesco was set free in 2004, Andrei Ivantoc and Tudor Petrov-Popa – at the beginning of June 2007.