Prosecutors started a criminal investigation after the Ombudsman recently published a report looking into what is now revealed to be a riot that broke out at the Psychiatric Hospital in Codru in October of last year.
The report in particular alleged that several patients were ill-treated by a special police unit that was called in to restore order; and that a patient was placed in confinement where he suffered inhuman and degrading treatment.
According to prosecutors, the riot involved a group of patients admitted to the Hospital’s Department no.10, who barricaded the entrances to an entire floor of the building, damaging CCTV cameras, setting furniture and mattresses alight, and wielding improvised weapons. Firefighters were called in.
The rioting patients allegedly uttered death threats as well as threats of self-harm, leading the Hospital management to set up a crisis cell. Several unsuccessful rounds of negotiations followed, after which it was decided to storm the building with the help of the special police force Fulger. The officers used force and special equipment to quell the riot.
Prosecutors will now look to see if the use of force by the special police was excessive or not. They will also investigate the case of a patient that was placed in confinement following the riot. It was reported that he had been beaten and otherwise ill-treated, such as through restricted access to the bathroom and to drinking water, as well as through improper medication, actions that could amount to torture.
