Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Ion Iliescu Lies in State at Cotroceni Palace During National Mourning

Following his death on August 5, Romania declared Thursday a national day of mourning before his state funeral

Overview

  • The former president’s casket was transferred August 6 from the Bucharest hospital to Cotroceni Palace, where it lies in state draped with Romania’s tricolor flag
  • President Nicuşor Dan’s government has ordered flags at half-staff and scheduled a state funeral for Thursday, marking the formal end of his public memorial
  • Leaders of the Save Romania Union party announced they will not attend the ceremonies, while the Social Democratic Party called on all politicians to show respect for Iliescu’s contributions
  • Unresolved legal battles shadow his passing, with military prosecutors charging him in 2018 and again in January 2025 with crimes against humanity over the 1989 revolution and 1990 miners’ crackdown
  • Iliescu is credited with steering Romania onto the NATO path in 2004 and advancing its EU membership process despite disputes over his democratic record