Romanian State Authorities Manipulating the Mass-Media In MISA Case

The abusive, violent actions which the Romanian Authorities displayed against the Romanian Yoga School, MISA, raised a series of questions and issues, which have largely arrested people’s attention. Journalists, lawmen and even some high political figures made their own opinions concerning these events, but the point is that in doing so, many of them tried to mould the beliefs and the judgement of the audience. Manipulation is a long old story in Romania but this attempt to hypnotise the audience by means of mass-media is simply outrageous. Here are some conclusive statements in this respect: 

Bogdan Draghici, President of the National Federation of Civil Servants

Employees of the Government, “fraternizing” with the guru: “At country level there are over 100 civil servants in important positions, especially within the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, and even within the General Secretariate of the Government, who protect the Movement for Spiritual Integration in the Absolute or who are MISA members. In Bucharest, at the Central Administration level, there are dozens of such dignitaries” (Bogdan Draghici quoted by Jurnalul National, April 1st)

Dignitaries in the service of Bivolaru: “There are dozens of civil servants througout the country. However MISA members are not only in the Ministry, but in other places, such as the General Secretariate of the Government. We are gathering now the data and we will make it public as soon as possible. […] people form the central structures of the State, of the Government, were the main protectors of Gregorian Bivolaru. […] Companies belonging to important members or followers of Bivolaru’s organization were performing illegal business activities. For these services, including protection and information from the State structures, the dignitaries received material benefits […] and sexual favours” (Bogdan Draghici quoted by Ziarul, March 31st)

Statements of the Police and Prosecutors

Show the evidence!: […] prosecutors let us understand that MISA may also be involved in drug abuse, prostitution, trade with human beings. Even more, it was suggested that MISA may be accused of being a kind of paramilitary organization, that may harm the national security” (Evenimentul Zilei, April 3rd )

Accusations made by Prosecutor’s Office, but not proved yet, against MISA – tax evasion; crimes against the Law of Organized Crime and the Law of Pornography; money laundrying; trade with pornographic materials; trade with human beings; drug abuse and drug dealing; undermining the national security. (Evenimentul Zilei, April 3rd; )

Search warrants for drugs and prostitution: “officially, the search warrants […] were issued with the intent to fight the drug dealing and the prostitution […..] this was the last step in an action aiming at destroying the Movement for Spiritual Integration in the Absolute” (Curentul, March 20th-21st)

“According to a release of the Prosecutor’s Office pertaining to the Appeal Court of Bucharest, the action was started following also people’s complaints regarding prostitution and drug dealing” (Ziua, March 20th)

Issues raised by the investigations in MISA file: “that night, when 78 persons found during the searches were interrogated, [the authorities] talked about drug dealing, pornographic materials, trade with human beings. It is clear the investigators could not find quickly evidence to prove the guilt or innocence of MISA members…” (…April 1st)

Radu Timofte, the MISA leader in the shadow: “confidential sources close to the investigators declared last night […] that there are unquestionnable proofs that the Romanian Secret Service (SRI) leader belongs to the yogi movement […] President Iliescu called an emergency meeting of the Supreme Defense Council (CSAT) to discuss the replacement of Radu Timofte…” (Curierul National, April 1st)

Prosecutors of the Appeal Court hipnotized by MISA: “the prosecutors of the Court of Appeal of Bucharest […] said […] “we are waiting for the file, to pursue the investigations, and we count on the further support of the press”” (Realitatea Romaneasca, April 3rd2nd)

Sex on the net, under investigation: “Yesterday, the Prosecutor’s Office pertaining to the Court of Appeal started a broad operation to uncover te biggest network of internet sex […] the action targeted as well the drug dealing and the prostitution” (Gardianul, March 19th)

“One of the biggest action undertaken by police and prosecutors against crime […] locations where the masked men broke in to look for drugs” (Adevarul, March 20)

Organized Crime assaulted the empire of guru Bivolaru: “prosecutors […] questionned 100 persons involved in illegal activities”; “the Romanian authorities were supported also by FBI agents” (Curierul National, March 20th)

The activity of Bivolaru’s sect – protected by judges, Police and Secret Service officers: “the crimes for which the investigators of the Prosecutor’s Office are pursuing searches are drug dealing and prostitution. Judicial sources said that this is just the beginning, there are also clues referring to other possible penal offenses (Adevarul, March 22nd)

Further searches in Bivolaru’s houses: “official sources, who want to stay anonymous, stated that […] they found equipment for scanning the radio frequencies of the Police” (Libertatea, March 22nd)

The Romanian Secret Service is afraid of paramilitary MISA: “MISA has been watched by the Secret Service […] for a long time […] as MISA started to take the shape of a paramilitary group. […] Moreover, […] at any time MISA could create destabilization, or lead to extreme actions, as it happened to members of notorious sects. The military discipline established by Gregorian Bivolaru, based on mass manipulation techniques, could be at any time considered as attempt to disturb public peace. […] The Secret Service holds reports about […] dangerous strategies that could finally target the national security” (Ziua, March 22nd)

“From the trade with human beings the leaders of MISA gained 1 million dollars monthly profit, say the investigators” (Ziua, March 31st)

Suicides branded MISA in Covasna: “the chief of the Service Against Organized Crime and Anti-drug Covasna, inspector Ioan Bejean, declared on Tuesday that within 1995-1996 several youngsters from Covasna committed suicide after attending MISA meetings” (Realitatea Romaneasca, March 31st)

The danger of martyrizing Bivolaru: “images in which policemen escalade walls, pulverize windows, arrest under gun threat, break doors with axes, collect impressive quantities of evidence, were broadcasted on all TV channels. So far […] Romanians have seen such images only in American movies. Asked about the need of such unusual procedure, policemen answered they were acting at prosecutors’ orders, and the law was not broken” (Ziua, March 24th)

“The latest information about the unprecedented action carried out by prosecutors led by the General Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office pertaining to the Appeal Court, George Balan, and the General Prosecutor of Romania, Ilie Botos, concern very serious activities such as drug dealing, trade of human beings, tax evasion, as well as pedophilia” (Ziua, March 23rd)

“Sources from Secret Services informed us that the surveillance of Gregorian Bivolaru and MISA continued after the Secret Service handed to the Prosecutors 6 files with classified information. From this results that MISA guru was watched the whole period, that his phone was intercepted, maybe also his apartment was bugged during the recent search, made in his absence […[ What is interesting is the fact that the release about [Gregorian Bivolaru being] searched at national level was not made during the press conference of prosecutor Balan, but afterwards, through Mediafax press agency […] the information was not official, but reported as ‘from judicial sources’” (Ziua, March 25th)

Ioan Talpes, State Minister

“[…] mass-media turned MISA case in an “explosive show”, […] he can not tell who is pulling the strings. “I believe someone is interested in bringing such cases to the public debate […] there is tax evasion, this is the issue […] I have no information regarding MISA” “(Evenimentul Zilei, April 3rd ; Jurnalul National, April 3rd; Cronica Romana, April 3rd, Realitatea Romaneasca, April 3rd, Romania Libera, April 3rd)

Ioan Rus, Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration

“The liberation of Gregorian Bivolaru is strange” (Ziua, National, April 5th)

Ioan Rus wants Gregorian Bivolaru in jail (Realitatea Romaneasca, April 5th)

MISA scandal, an anti-Nastase scenario: “Ioan Rus declared […] that MISA is under surveilance since 1995, but specialists of the Internal Affairs Ministry decided only now that it was time to intervene” (National, April 2nd)

Raj Tunaru, Social-Democratic Party, Deputy (Member of Chamber of Deputies)

The monster has recruited also children of prosecutors: “Raj Tunaru requested the General Prosecutor of Romania, Ilie Botos, to issue urgently a warrant of arrest for MISA leader [Gregorian Bivolaru]” (Evenimentul Zilei, March 24th)

Most Serious Statements and Instigations on TV

Emanuel Isopescu, investigations journalist, Realitatea TV

“Considering all these things, they should lead the Prosecutors to issue a warrant of arrest [against Bivolaru, N.B.]” (News Journal, March 26th)

“We are currenly watching a match between 20 millions Romanians and 78,000 MISA followers.[…] of course any Romanian would break his neck [Gregorian Bivolaru’s neck, N.B.], and I say this in all decency, not aggressively […] think that he [Gregorian Bivolaru] is a sexually obsessed, with a paranoid evolution [..] from nothing it led to a structure that indeed represents a potential menace to the Romanian State” (News Journal, April 1st)

“What I’m interested in is whather we can terminate this nuisance called MISA, together with its leaders, because this is what the Romanian society wants” (News Journal, April 28th)

Christian Levant, journalist, Evenimentul Zilei

“That’s why I said it’s a diversion, […] because today at the press conference we were told that no penal search has started against Gregorian Bivolaru […] but later on we contacted Mediafax [N.B. news agency] and we asked, they said that the news [N.B. that Bivolaru is searched by the police nationally] is not true, but they were ordered to release it […] they said it both to me and to one of my colleagues” (“Godfather” talk show, B1TV, March 25th)

Statistics – articles about MISA in Romanian newspapers

within March 18th – May 5th

Main national newspapers

Ziua – 54 articles

Ziarul – 45 articles

Jurnalul National – 24 articles

Romania Libera – 19 articles

Evenimentul Zilei – 43 articles

Gardianul – 50 articles

Adevarul – over 20 articles

Curierul National – over 25 articles

National – over 25 articles

Realitatea Romaneasca – about 20 articles

Curentul – over 30 articles

Independent – about 15 articles

Monitorul – over 40 articles