1. Declarations of those who were investigated in a abusive way by the authorities: 1-20
Declaration,
The undersigned A. L., with the dwelling place in Iasi, yoga student.
On the date of March 18, 2004, I was in the building placed on Serg. Turturica Street, No. 123. Around 9:00 a.m. I heard powerful strokes on the gate, I got up from the bed and I wanted to get dressed, but, before I could do that, two masked and armed gendarmes (a man and a woman) were already near me. They entered without knocking on the door and, without allowing me to get dressed, they threatened me with the gun and forced me to lay down facing the floor.
Then I was taken outside, in the yard, together with other persons from the building. Meanwhile, other gendarmes were breaking windows and doors from the other wings of the building.
The procurator just waved from the distance the mandate for search, without giving us the possibility of reading it and without telling us the motive of the search. We were not allowed to make any call or to contact the lawyer.
The search of my personal goods was made in my absence, but in the presence of the lawyer, who arrived meanwhile, and of the owner of the house.
I did not sign any report, but subsequently I saw that some of my things were missing (my mobile phone, books, medicines, documents and other intimate goods). After several hours we have been taken to the Prosecutor’s Office, without being told the motive. There I waited for hours till I was examined. Any contact with the exterior was forbidden. I was treated as if I had committed a crime, and when I refused to declare certain things, I was told that this way I was complicating my situation, without being explained what that “complication” meant. I spent about six hours at the Prosecutor’s Office.
I have been shocked by this experience.
Data : 18.03.2004
I, A. P., Poland
Hereby declare, the events happening in the 18 th of March 2004. This day I was woken up by a masked man, breaking in to my room at str. Turturica 123, pointing at me with the gun, and shouting in Roamanian Đ the language I can not understand.
Without leting me know who he is, and what he coms for, he made me by force go on to the yard, wearing only pyjamas, though I was having cold and the morning was cool. These, for another next hour I was kept put trembling for cold and threatened by the heavy armed man without any understanding what is happening. With the appearance of the layer the conditions become a little more decent.
However after few hours I was forced to get into the car Đ again without any explication of the purpose, and taken to the police station. While I was kept there, my personal things from my room in Turturica 123 were investigated, an d some of them taken without receiving any not as a documentation for what was taken.
All the day I was frightened, without any explantion, till late night kept out from my room my personal things and finally I falled asleep from the tiredness with my close on, in some other room in the house with my illness worsened.
On the next day 19 th of March 2004 I was told that according to the news the house was accused for prostitution, use of drugs, and gumbling and I declare that non of these things ever have taken place in this house.
Data: 19 th of March 2004, Bucharest
My name is A. W., citizen of Israel.
On the day of 18-03-2004, I was sleeping in the house on Turturica 123 I woke up from my friend which run into the room scared, saying about some man with guns in the house. I looked from my window and saw many mans in masks with guns entering with force to the house and breaking into the doors and windows, from the libary downstairs, destroying everything on their way.
I started quickly to get dress, having no idea what is going on. In the next moment, without any warning, (no knocking or asking) a masked man, with gun broke violently in to the room (destroying the door on his way) pointed a gun into my face screaming something in Romanian, which I couldn’t understand (I don’t know Romanian) pointed out, so I came out of my room to the yard, followed , haged down by his theeats.
I saw all my friends downstairs still in their pijamas surrounded by masked and armed man. I was very scared, having no idea what is going on. I understood from my friends that those are policemen but no one explained to us why they are here, and they even refused to answer any of our questions about their motif. I said that I don’t understand any Romanian, but no one translated anything to me about what is happening.
In this way we have been hold in the house, they didn’t allow us to take anything from our rooms, and especially not to touch our phones. After we have been hook in this way in the house for around 6 hours, tired and scared we were taken to the police station (again without any explanation). In the police station after waiting in the hall surrounded by many policemen, we stayed there with no food, water for around 6 hours. After this, I was asked for my details and again receive no explanation for not a single thing in all this situation.
After this we were brought back home, were the search was going on. During the search in my room, which was very brutal, the officer took my personal photos and negatives (they just throw them into the box). Late in the night we were allowed to go back to our destroyed rooms. I must underline again the violent way in which I was treated, this incident let me with tears, which were created by those who are suppose to protect me and instead of this they denied all my rights as a human being in their country!
Data: 23-03-2004
The undersingned A. A., with the residence in Satu-Mare, I declare that, while paying a visit to someone in the house locatede on the Peleaga Street No. 5, I participated in the following events: at about 8:50 a.m., on the date of 18-th of March 2004, the gendarmes have violenty entered the building, and in from the precincts where I was then I heard some windows breaking and the gendarmes shouting, forcing people to face the floor.
In the room where I was forced to enter there already were already other four persons facing the floor, and then I was also forced to face the floor, while the gendarmes were guarding us with their machine-guns. It was a terrifying atmosphere.
We didn’t know the reason of all these shocking events, the reason hasn’t been specified to us; we didn’t see the mandate for search, only after a long time they told us that it was a search.
We were then gathered in a room, while they were guarding us with their machine-guns; they opened the window and I had just finished my shower in the moment when all these events started, and at my request for them to close the window, because my hair was wet, they refused for a period of time, and they also refused at first to turn the heather on, when the window was opened.
Some of them had an attitude of mokery or intimidation; at a certain moment they alligned us all and they filmed us while we were forced to say our name and age. We were allowed to use the toiled only under surveillance; and also only one person was allowed to go and bring some food, also under surveillance.
Only one witness from our group was allowed to parcipate at the search. We were all tired and stressed because of all these events; at the of the search they forced us to get into the van gendarmerie`s van). The feeling was extremly unpleasant, and they took us to the Presecutor`s Office. At the Presecutor`s Office we were forced to make our declarations in the absence of a lawyer. All these events were and abusive.
Data : 19 th of March 2004
My name is A. T., engineer, 27 years old, actualy living in Romania and I want to report as eye witness un unprecedented situation happent in Bucharest, in the morning of 18th March 2004, when around 300 policemen entered by force in 16 private houses belonging to yoga practitioners from Miscarea de Integrare Spirituala in Absolut (Movement for the Spiritual Integration in Absolut) commonly known as M.I.S.A. I decided to write this letter as a complaint, but also to alert international organisation for human rights about many illegal and brutal actions of romanian authorities against yoga practitioners belonging to M.I.S.A., and also against the spiritual mentor of this organisation.
I’m very concerned because this kind of actions wasn’t the first one, just the last and the most agressive from a long serie started many years ago.
In the morning of 18th March 2004, I was shocked by seeing around 9 o’clock many policemen (and also police cars) from special forces entering by force in many houses belonging to yoga practitioners or members of M.I.S.A.
People founded in there (I have to notice that there were many girls and women) were helded for more than 10 hours with the hands on the head, down on the ground like criminals or terrorists. No one had read them the accusations or the rights. They weren’t allowed to call a lawyer, to talk each other, to drink water, to eat or, at least, to get more dressed (it was morning and some of the people just woke up or were still sleeping). They could go to the toilet only escorted and under surveillance.
Operators joining in operation the policemen filmed the people on the ground and show it on news telling that the yoga practitioners are accused for prostitution, drugs possesion and pornography. In fact, there were only normal people, hurted and scared, ill-treated and beated. I have to mention that, at that moment, there was no penal accusation for any person founded in the houses or for the owners of the houses. That was a unprecedented situation, where 16 private houses were invaded, where a prosecutor signed 16 mandates in the total absence of any prove which could authorize this kind of action.
After 10 hours of physic and psychic torture, all the persons were took by force to the Police station and forced to signe declarations in which they should agreed with the accusations for prostitution, drugs consumption or/and possesion and pornography.
The authorities confiscated a large quantity (6 trucks) of materials belonging to M.I.S.A. and also personal goods of the people living or just founded in the houses at that moment (including books, booklets, audio and video tapes, CDs, electronic goods, cameras, personal computers, jewels, money), most of them having no connection with the object of the investigation (like clothes and underclothes). In most of the cases, policemen and prosecutors didn’t respect the judicial proceedings.
After one week of searchings there are still no proves for none of the accusations.
I consider that a serious violation of fundamental human rights and I’m very concerned because if this action remain without any response from the organisations protecting human rights, this kind of action could happen again and again to anyone.
I, A. C., resident in Romania, declare the following:
I have been attending for 10 years the yoga courses organized by M.I.S.A. All these years there have been numerous cases of abuse made by the Police and Justice authorities from our country against yoga practitioners.This time the abuses against the M.I.S.A. yogis were incredibly worse. This affects me indirectly due to the backbiting of the yoga practitioners’ image in the Romanian society.
We have been accused of: possession of arms, drug dealing, prostitution, organized crime, pornography and others. These accusations are not founded and are not supported by any legal evidence. My parents have already told me that they are worried because of the situation; owing to the lies and calumnies in the mass media they now have a very bad impression about yoga.
I began to be afraid that people would find out that I attend the M.I.S.A. yoga courses, because in this way I could lose my friends and I could have social problems regarding my job. I am a puppeteer actor at a private ambulant theatre and at some other companies.
It is inadmissible that the mass media should make such statements like all the yoga practitioners are mentally ill or have schizophrenia. I felt this statement as a personal offence and a calumny.
Several basic human rights are seriously violated: the right to individual freedom, the freedom of consciousness, the right to free association, the freedom of speech, the right to self- image and the right to physical and moral integrity.
I can say that during all these years my yoga practice has helped me have a better life, feel closer to the divine and even be more successful in my profession.
Please do something and offer me protection against this serious violation of the human rights.
Date: 25.03.2004
I, A. G., resident in Romania, declare the following:
I have been attending the yoga courses organized by M.I.S.A. for 10 years.
I practice yoga because the techniques I have learned in this yoga school helped me in many ways. Before I started to practice yoga I had been very ill. I had a frail body, my vitality was very low, and I had high blood pressure and a pulmonary tumor that needed chirurgical operation.
Now all these health problems have vanished. That is why yoga means LIFE to me. I think a strong spirit needs also a harmonious body.
In all these 10 years the press and the television have presented us as immoral people, swindlers and criminals. This year the Romanian authorities accused M.I.S.A. of arms trade, drugs possession, pornography etc. These accusations are completely unfounded and have no legal evidence. None of these accusations is true.
Thus the Romanian authorities violate flagrantly the HUMAN RIGHTS.
Please do something and protect me against these heartless people who want to repeal us.
Data: 26.03.2004
The undersigned C. A., resident in Oradea, I want to declare the following:
Since October 2003 I restarted the yoga courses of the teacher Gregorian Bivolaru, in Bucharest. I attended with very much interest these courses which I consider very benefic for me as wel as for all the other students.
Unfortunalely I was astonished of what is happening in Romania with the help of mass-media, which has been ceaselessly defaiming the image of our yoga school.The society began to look at us as if we were some outcasts, we encounter difficulties when we mention at work , or to our friends, or at school that we practice yoga.
Recently I was the target of such defamatory manifestations, which went beyond the limits for this time: abusses have been made on us, the yogis, in a barbarian way, The Police, the Gendarmerie, the prosecutors have forcedly entered several private locations where they abused of their power. On the date of March 18th 2004 I was walking towards the Theatre Studio of our yoga school. When I arrived at the door of the building, the Gendarmerie was already there, the door had been broken, there were shivers on the ground. They took me by force inside the building, they forced me to prove my identity without them giving me any explanantion, and without proving their identity either.They told me that it was a routine check and in spite of all these I was forced to remain there for 6 hours, watched like a murderer by masked and armed gendarmes. I asked the permission to go to the toilet and even there they came to watch me, with their guns. I wasn’t allowed to move from the room, and they were vulgar of speech to me and after many hours of insistence I was allowed to leave.
I have been terrorized for 6 hours by some people (the Romanian Police) who abused of the power they were invested with.
I confess that I am not guilty of anything they accuse us of, except the fact that I practice yoga, which cannot be considered an offence. Everywhere around the world people are practicing this ancient discipline.
My relationships with my aquaintances, even with my family, started to become tensed on the background of this anti-yoga campaign.
Hoping that these lines will be read by someone who has the power to help us and who has the consciousness awakened enough to become aware of the absurdity of the situation, I am asking you to help us, as far as it is possible.
Thank you !
C. C., licentiated in Literature, actress, universitary teacher in the Babes Bolyai University, Faculty of Letters from Cluj-Napoca, department of Romanian Acting.
Data : 26.03.2004
I, C. A., resident in Arad, hereby declare:
I have been for a few days in a house in 64 Veseliei St.
In the morning of March 18th 2004 I was woken up by screams and hard banging. Policemen and gendarmes were forcing their way in the house and rooms through the windows and doors, though the doors were not locked. They snatched the blanket I was covered with, pointed a gun to my head and shouted: ŇStay down! Don’t move! Hands behind your head!Ó
Terrified I obeyed. I was then taken in another room where I found my colleagues in the same situation as mine, terrified too. They put us with our faces to the floor and hands behind the head and shouted at us: ŇNobody moves! Nobody talks! They video taped us: we were lying on the floor. Then they brought a syringe and they ostentatiously filmed us with the syringe insinuating that we used it, that we take drugs.
That moment I honestly felt that they wanted to inject us and if we opposed they would shoot us.
This agony, during which we were not allowed to move, lasted for approximately 3 hours. They eventually saw that we were peaceful and, finding no weapons on us or in the house, they let us get up; but, we were still confined in that room.
Armed guards were watching us and were not allowed to call anybody (the phones were all confiscated).
We asked why we were detained, why we could not call anybody, why we were not allowed to talk to a lawyer but we received no answers.
After a few more hours we were all taken to the prosecutor’s office where we were again detained for several hours.
The whole thing lasted around 12 hours. At the prosecutor’s office we were told that we had to write declarations, that we were not accused of anything, that we were not arrested but that we had to write those declarations.
I declare that I have never practiced group sex, prostitution, or have never used drugs.
I follow this yoga course by my free will and forced by no one. At this yoga course I learned how to live a better life, how to be happy, how to love.
They can take all what we possess but they can never take the love within us.
Date: 19.03.2004
Undersigned C. N. resident in Iasi city, I wish to present the following events on which I was forced to participate:
On the 18th of March 2004, at 9 a.m. being in the house from Peleaga street, no.5, I was eating in the kitchen when I heard some strange noises. Shortly after the kitchen door abruptly opened and three gendarmes armed with fire guns andb wearing masks on their faces entered the room and shouted to us to lay on the floor and under guns threatening, they ordered us to obey quickly. I witnessed a scene in which one of my colleagues didnt realize what was going on, she didnt threw herself on the ground, so she was pushed down by one of the gendarmes. On her falling, she injured her head and bruzed her eye. Three persons were on the ground, on cold sandstone and we didnt know what was going on, because they didnt say anything about it.
After a few minutes we were taken into a room where we were secluded for about eleven hours with other twelve colleagues. They didnt show any search warrant and we were not told what exactly is the reason for sequestration.
Meanwhile the prosecutor with one of our colleagues and other gendarmes were searching the rest of the house. They took all our mobile telephones and we werent allowed to contact anyone from the outside.
While we were sequestrated the gendarmes kept telling us what incriminating evdences they had found in the other rooms, they didnt say exactly what they found there, only that the situation was very serious and we surely would be detained at the Parchet (prosecuting magistracy) for a long time. In the first hours of our sequestration we were very scared because we didnt know what was going on, what the gendarmes were doing there, and how long this sequestration would last.
After a few hours they took of the masks from their faces, became quieter and they told us that they expected to find in that house violent armed persons, not girls. In my absence they took my personal photo album including my personal pictures, my diary, audiotapes, my music CD. They took a lot of things from the house without nominally registration.
When I was taken from the house I didnt know the reason for that detaining action and in what quality they were taken me to the Parchet (prosecuting magistracy) I didnt know if I would be arrested or questioned and how long it would take. This thing created me a state of fear and tension.At the Parchet (prosecuting magistracy) they ordered me to write a declaration without the permission to be assisted by an advocate, although I solicited one. This also created me a feeling of discontentment.
From my point of view this is a violation of my legal right to defense.
Date: 19.03.2004
I, undersigned C. C., resident in Bucharest, I formulate this present declaration.
Complain against the prosecutor who was in charge with searching the house from Turturica Street, nr.123, Bucharest, sector 5, on March 18, 2004.
On March 18th, 2004 I was in the house from Turturica street, nr.123, Bucharest, sector 5, when at 9 am in the morning armed and masked gendarmes troupes brutally entered this house using for this many ways of entrance as: they broke the gates and many windows from different places of the house (in the part of the house where I was they entered on the bathrooms window).
From the room I was, that being located on the attic, I could hear the noise made by the breaking of doors and windows, which were quite crashed, an extremely heavy noise and also screaming of the other persons in that side of the house, who were only girls.
After about three minutes a civil person came in my room asking me if there was other person in there and informed me that there was a general search, told me to leave the room and to go in the yard. I stepped down in the yard where there were already many persons each of them extremely scared and neither of them knowing what was the reason for that search and that way of manifestation.
The way the girls were brought outside the room was extremely violent, barbaric, the way in which they succeeded to astound and intimidate the majority, 97% of them being girls; gendarmes were around us and had their guns pointed toward us.
After all and every person were brought outside the house, in the yard, we were announced that there would be accomplished a general search, but we werent informed what was the reason for that search, only the search authorization number for the house we were in.
During all this time we werent allowed to talk, and men were kept with their hands on the back of their head and with their face to the wall. Although Mr. Claudiu Tradafir, the owner of the house solicited the right of knowing what was the reason for that search, the prosecutor also didnt answer the request of Mr. Claudiu Trandafir for calling an advocate which could have represented us, the prosecutor refused telling him that we didnt have any right.
That kind of attitude by which they refused us any right lasted one hour until our advocate hardly could enter the house. Meanwhile the gendarmes entered different rooms without being accompanied by the prosecutors. A corporal search made by the gendarme women followed, after that they gathered us into a room being called from there, one by one, for telling our ID information. All that time we were allowed to go to the bathroom but only accompanied. I was accompanied even inside the bathroom while I was doing my physiological necessities.
I witness that the bathroom where I went didnt have any window or any other objects with which I could act aggressively on our own or on gendarmes that were accompanying us.
That lasted until 1 pm when we were being put into a van and transported with the greatest speed to the Prosecuting Magistracy. We didnt know why we were searched, why we were treated like real lawbreakers and neither what was the reason for which we were taken to the Prosecuting Magistracy.
Arrived at the Prosecuting Magistracy we were treated with the same tough attitude. I had been waiting for three hours till I was called by a prosecutor and other three hours till I left there. When I faced the prosecutor I asked him again about the reason for being there, for being treated as a lawbreaker but he didnt answer me.
The declaration I wrote was dictated to me by the prosecutor, meaning that after I was asked different things about MISA and I answered it, the prosecutor formulated the text that I had to write. I asked why must I wrote his text and he replied me that it was made for giving the text- which would contain my declaration- a legal note.
After that, about 7:30 pm, we were taken back to the house from Turturica street, nr.123 and we were allowed to go but without having the right to enter and take other objects from the rooms.
Date: 23.03.2004
My name is C. C. I practice yoga and also I’m a yoga teacher inside of MISA, in Bucharest, from 20th of October 1993.
During all these years I had been confronted with many embarrassing situations because of the calumnies from mass-media and periodical abusive actions of the police.
On 18th of March 2004, I was driving my car on the Turturica street when I was stoped by the Romanian gendarmerie car and retained on the street on the order of the Mihai Mocanu procurator (PCA Bucharest).
They combed me out and seized my personal objects. I clamoured against this perquisition but they justified it telling me that they conduct an inquiry on Turturica street.
Although I asked them to show me a search warrant they didn’t show me anything. Being intimidated by their verbal aggression I submit to perquisition. They took me my inimate pictures with my wife and some letters from my wife. They even read my personal letters.
It is not the first time when people who practice yoga on MISA get under such abusive treatments.
I’m asking myself why I fight in 1989 at revolution? Not for liberty? Not for my rights as a human being? But where are my rights today as a Romanian citizen in a democratic Romania?
In these actions of the authorities against MISA, I don’t see anything else but a comunist system that continue to exist and who try abusively to crush the people’s liberty of expression. What will we do now? Will we let them to destroy our privacy, our intimacy, our memories? I’m asking myself, it is necessary to be treated like slaves in our country in order to be admitted in the European Community?
I, D. C., resident in Bucharest, declare the following:
I have been practising yoga for 12 years, attending the courses opened by M.I.S.A.
As a consequence of the anti-yoga campaign from the press and the Romanian television, the relationship with my family became very tense, because of my option to practise and attend the yoga courses belonging to M.I.S.A., organization which is presented as being a military one or as having to do with prostitution, drugs, etc.
I mention that, in fact, the relationship with my family and my friends is one of understanding and mutual support, and therefore, what is happening these days is shocking and terrifying both for me as a physical person, and for my relatives and friends.
As a consequence of what happened to my colleagues from Bucharest on March 18, 2004, I had to take out of my house the books, the printed courses and the valuable goods , for fear that in any minute there could come the police to take them abusively.
I lived and still live moments of nightmare, which make me feel unprotected in my on country where the freedom of expression, the right to self-image, the right to free association, the freedom of consciousness are seriously violated.
After all that happened, I request your support and help.
26.03.2004
I, undersigned, D. M., with place of residence in district Galai:
On Thursday, 18/03/2004, as I was accessing the interphone, at the block of flats where EXTAZ society has its residence, I was taken by two masked gendarmes and introduced in the premises of the above-mentioned company. I was pressed against the wall and thoroughly searched. I was retained without being informed if I was charged for anything in particular between 13:45 to 3:00 a.m. (in the morning!) hours, on the 19th of March 2004.
I wasnt allowed to contact anybody outside the flat or to have a lawyer and I was also informed that I would be kept between 24 hours to 5 days. During my seclusion in that flat I was isolated in the kitchen near a masked gendarme who said some aggressive and malevolent words. I remember some of those: If I close the kitchens door and I press you to the faience (pottery) a little bit. He was touching my arm and shoulder muscles, saying I am too feeble and I wouldnt last long. He said I push you a little, I trip you over my foot and then say you wanted to run and discharge the entire content of my gun in you, I can hunt you down as a rabbit During the entire search he had this intimidating, hostile attitude, but without using physical violence.
I confess that the two persons I knew that were in the apartment and had been secluded before my arrival were kept without food as long as I was in custody, from 13.45 till 3.00 a.m., when we were released from Parchet. They were being refused the right to eat by the prosecutor, even if they repeatedly asked the permission to eat the food that had already existed in the kitchen.
I confess that I was kept at EXTAZ SRL premises from 13.45 to 22.00 after which I was transported to Parched (prosecuting magistracy) place from which I was released at 3.00 in the morning the following day.
Date: 19.03.2004
In the morning of March 18, 2004 I was terrified to see my neighbourgs’ houses invaded by lot of persons from the special forces of the romanian police. One of the houses was right in front of my residence and I could clearly see how these peaceful, nice and charming people (I know them for many years) have been ill-treated, beated, sequestrated for many hours, grabbed on the ground like murderers. It was like an incredible nightmare… I was very scared because I was thinking all the time that the police could cross the street in every moment and get into my house too. They have been filmed on the ground, with the hands up, and later in the night, I was shocked to see my neighbourgs at News, accusated for pornography, prostitution and drugs possesion.
Though my neighbourgs were cooperant they have been beated.Though they offered the keys of the locked doors, policemen opened it by force and using axes.
Many of the women from the house (some of them were just passing by) were slaped, beated (this fact is confirmed by medical certificates).
I am very concerned because romanian mass-media presents wrong ideeas and fake facts. I was trying to talk to them as eye witness, but they didn’t want to listen to me, because I had nothing to complain concerning my neighbourgs.
The simple fact they are following the yoga courses from M.I.S.A. (Movement for Spiritual Integration in the Absolut), is not a solid reason to be treated like beasts or terrorists. Especially when there are no criminal accusation for none of the persons persecuted.
Eng. D. D., Bucharest, Romania.
March 25, 2004.
I, D. O., resident in Vrancea district, Romania, being in the building situated in Sergent Turturica street no. 123, on the 18th of March 2004, I took part unwillingly in the following terrible events: at around 9 o’clock I was woken up in the room I was sleeping in by booms and threats. In about 2 minutes, policemen and gendarmes entered abusively my room, without knocking to the door and threatening us with their weapons. I was not allowed to put clothes on; eventually, after much insistence, I could put on a pair of trousers.
On our way out, asking about the reason of this action, we didn’t receive any answer, but in the end we had a surprise: I was filmed at the exit of the building. In the yard we were not allowed to talk to each other.
The foreigners who were there couldn’t understand what was happening as no one could translate them the conversation.
I declare that we had to insist a lot until they let us call a lawyer who, in the moment he arrived, was not allowed to enter the yard of the building. At the gate door, he was ill-treated and he was taken his mobile phone.
During the search they took from me the following objects: my mobile phone, CDs with music, personal photos and photos that weren’t mine, booklets. All these were filmed and written in the proceedings, one by one, in the presence of my lawyer, of the owner of the building, the two persons who were living in the room, the two prosecutors, and 2-3 armed policemen.
After the search, we were announced that we had to go to the Prosecutor’s Office, without knowing the reason of this action.
Ten of us were crowded in a police car and, guarded by 2 gendarmes, they took us to the Prosecutor’s Office. Here I was forced to write a declaration. The persons who interrogated me ill-treated me psychically in their attempt to make me write facts that have nothing to do with my person.
Data : 19.03.2004
My name is D. A., I express on this way my discontent regarding the actions of disparagement on the yoga school within the framework of MISA. I am 49 years old and I’m a yoga student since 1990. During all this time I observed that it isn’t done group sex, it isn’t done urine therapy, and it isn’t done immoral actions. I mention that I have superior studies and post-graduated studies and I can say that this yoga courses helped my in my professional completion and a harmonious integration in the social life where I obtained a certain respect.
Through these intensely mediated actions of the mass media and TV, my image, my social relationships, my family, my relationships were deteriorated, which has a negative effect on me.
I don’t understand why in a state of rights, are not respected the most elementary human rights. I consider that I didn’t violate the laws of the state and good customs by attending of these courses.
29.03.2004
The undersigned D. D., I declare the followings:
The events, better said the abuses made by the romanian police and the police soldiers on the 18th of March 2004, affected negatively my feeling of security, and likewise, I was and I still am put to public denigration even if I am actually one of the victims.
The police and the police soldiers abused physicaly, psychically and verbally of my coleagues which were found in a private house where actually I was living too. They took from me personal goods: money, electronical devices (CD player, laptop).
The false news broadcasted on TV affected the physical and psychical health of my parents, which are accusing me for being the cause of their sicknesses.
Through this declaration I wish to ask for help from all the internal and international organisations of human rights to immediately intercede for rehabilitate the bad reputation of the yoga course that I attend and implicitly mine aswell.
Thank you!
29.03.2004
My name is D. V., I want to express my deepest discontent regarding the denigrative actions against the Romanian school of yoga.
I have been a student of this yoga school since 1990 and I can say that in these years, all that I have learned is neither immoral neither deteriorative to the human being or to its social relationships. On the contrary, everything I have learned at this course is of common sense, moral and ethical, spiritual. One of the basic principles of this school is to not constraint anybody to do anything against his will. Even in the case of the body postures that we have learned, we were advised not to force and to do the body postures or any other technique in harmony with our body, with our state of health.
I am deeply shocked and, in the same time, surprised of the fact that, for years they have tried to incriminate the yoga students and especially the one who is our teacher, Gregorian Bivolaru. Still, no accusing facts have been found yet.
There were presented some truncated images, together with the intentionately defaming comments, without considering the fact that they were part of a mystification and that they were presented on purpose in certain unfavorable scenery.
They make the ones who present them proud of their action, through which they ruin the image of a spiritual group.
The way in which the mass media presents the image of this yoga school is not correct, and even more, this affects deeply the social and family relationships of those who are a part of it. It is revolting the fact that those people of law are violating the law. The armed and masked police soldiers go and break doors, menace with their weapons, brutalize women, which simply wake up from their sleep, looking for something to accuse them of.
Still, even if almost two weeks passed since the start of their actions, nobody yet was accused of anything. Everywhere in the world people are talking about peace, freedom, and human rights, democracy. Where is this applied when even the people of the law are violating the law?
I want to add that I am 41 years old, I’m married, I have academically studies and I am further a student of a second university. I tell this not for praise, but to prove that the yoga school is not making the people leave the school and family, but everyone is free to choose and to be responsible for his choice.
24.03.2004
The undersigned D. H. D., residing in Piatra Neamţ, hereby declare as follows:
On March 18, 2004 I was going by car on Veseliei st. and I stopped to allow my friend D. M. to get down of the car. At that moment the gendarmes surrounded us and forced us to enter the building with the number 64, where a general house search conducted by the prosecuting magistracy and the gendarmes was in progress.
We entered that estate where many goods, tapes, CD-s, electronic equipment were destroyed. I was illegally submitted to a body search, although I didn’t have any connection with the operation of the prosecuting magistracy. I was brutalized, pushed and sequestered in a room with the others in the house, without being allowed to talk or to communicate in any way to each other or with an attorney.
I asked to be allowed to call my personal attorney and the prosecutor DELCEA answered to me brutally: ŇI am the one who asks questions here. I can do whatever I want.Ó I wasn’t given any possibility to contact my attorney and I was forced to get in the Gendarme’s car which took me to the prosecuting magistracy where I was forced to write a statement. I was forced to write what the prosecutor was dictating to me, to write what he wanted me to write. I refused to declare what the prosecutor wanted, because it was no true. The prosecutor insisted and he wanted me to write that at the yoga courses we take drugs and perform sexual orgies. All these were completely false and because of this I refused to write them.
In the evening of the same day I came back to the building in Veseliei st., no. 64 and the gendarmes continued to push and brutalize me, although I had given a statement at the prosecuting magistracy and had completed everything there.
My yoga pass, my yang spiral card and my mobile phone were confiscated and, although the search warrant of prosecutor DELCEA that I read didn’t specify this, he held abusively these documents. I consider that the whole action of the Prosecuting Magistracy and Gendarmerie is abusive.
I sustain and sign this statement,
Date 19.03.2004
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