SPP director Lucian Pahonțu denies role in 1989 Revolution and 1990 Mineriad repression
Romanian Protection and Guard Service director Lucian Pahonțu denied allegations on 31 August regarding his actions during the 1989 Revolution and 1990 Mineriad, prompting investigative outlet Recorder to publish contradicting archival records.
Pahonțu denies political police actions
General Lucian Pahonțu, director of Romania's Protection and Guard Service (SPP), issued an extensive public statement on 31 August 2026 denying allegations regarding his participation in the repression of demonstrators during the December 1989 Revolution and the June 1990 Mineriad. The allegations followed investigative reports published by journalistic outlets Recorder and Snoop. Pahonțu stated that his professional career has remained transparent and subject to institutional checks, including prior to his appointment as SPP director. He referred inquiries to the National Council for the Study of the Securitate Archives (CNSAS), stating the institution has all legal mechanisms to verify his declarations.
I have never carried out activities aimed at violating or restricting fundamental rights and freedoms that could be classified as acts of political police.
Defense regarding the 1989 Revolution
Pahonțu explained that in December 1989 he was 25 years old, serving as a lieutenant and communications platoon commander in a combat support and transport company of military unit UM 0305, part of the Security Troops under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He graduated from the Active Military Officers School in Sibiu with a specialization in transmissions. According to his account, his subunit held exclusively communications duties and did not engage in violence or enter into direct confrontation with demonstrators.
- Company receives orders to deploy to Casa Scânteii.
- Unit is ordered to move to the esplanade in front of the Cina restaurant.
- Platoon enters blocking position on 13 Decembrie Street.
- Unit withdraws to transport trucks to rest until morning.
- Troops allow protesters access to Piața Republicii and fraternize.
According to Pahonțu's movement log, his company received orders at approximately 20:00 on 21 December 1989 to deploy to Casa Scânteii, before moving to the esplanade in front of the Cina restaurant at around 21:00. At roughly 22:00, the unit was ordered into a blocking cordon on 13 Decembrie Street (now Ion Câmpineanu Street). Pahonțu stated that his platoon remained in that position without ammunition until 02:00 on 22 December, when they returned to transport trucks to rest. He asserted that on the morning of 22 December, soldiers allowed protesters access to Piața Republicii (now Piața Revoluției) and fraternized with the crowd. He stated that neither he nor his subordinates were present at the barricade near the Intercontinental Hotel or on Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard.
Positions on the 1990 Mineriad and prosecution records
Regarding the events of 13–14 June 1990 in University Square, Pahonțu stated that he and his subordinate soldiers remained in their barracks, citing records in the Romanian Gendarmerie archives. He also referenced statements from former military prosecutor Cătălin Ranco Pițu, who worked on the Revolution case file and stated that no evidence indicates Pahonțu took part in repressive operations. Source reports noted that Pahonțu did not address assertions by Recorder stating he is the nephew of former communist defense minister Vasile Milea.
Recorder releases counter-evidence
Following Pahonțu's statement on Monday evening, Recorder published a video response titled "General Pahonțu: the first reaction, the first lies", contesting his account. Recorder reported that Pahonțu avoided submitting a legally required sworn declaration on whether he worked for or collaborated with the Securitate for 18 years, making his first denial only after the journalistic investigation was published.
The investigative outlet cited 1990 testimonies in the judicial Revolution file from Pahonțu's former unit peers. A handwritten declaration by Major Gheorghe Rădulescu placed Pahonțu's platoon at the intersection of Ion Câmpineanu Street and Bălcescu Boulevard, directly in the barricade zone. Recorder also noted that multiple statements from soldiers in his platoon within the Mineriad case file confirm his presence during the June 1990 events in Bucharest.
