Evening star., 1947-11-12
Manu- Found Guilty,
Sentenced 10 Life;
18 Others Gel Terms
BY the hssocioted Press


"A military tribunal of the Com
munist-led Romanian government
yesterday found 75-year-old Dr..
Juliu Manu- guilty of high treason
and sentenced him to solitary con-
finement in prison for the remainder
Of his life.
Eighteen associates of the former
premier head of the National Peas
ant Party, received sentences vary
ing from life at hard labor to one
year in jail Of four tried in alb
sentia, two received life sentences
at hard labor.
Counsel for DR.. Manu- and his
associates lodged formal appeals
from the verdictS.
DR.. MANU-, the Catholic leader Of
the anti-CommunlSt OppoSltlo-4, was
sentenced to an additional 10 years
on other charges that included en-
tering into relations with foreign
poWers-the United States and Brit
ain-to overthrow the regime of
Communist Premier Petru Groza.
Both the United States and Brit
ain had protested the arrest. tAu-
thoritative British informantS said
in London it was likely that Britain
would also protest the SentenceS)
Denied All Charges.
DR.. Manu- steadfastly denied all
the charges brought against him in
the 14-day trial that opened October
%. Monday night in reference to
the more than 40 years he has given
of his life to Romanian politics, he
cried out in his last defense:
II demand proof of these painful
accusations I, who sacrificed my
life for Romania, cannot plot or
tnstigate,. These calumnies were
wont to be thrown against me by the
gutter press"
He had been arrested in July, but
the vOluminouS accusations against
him and the other defendants were
not disclosed until the trial began.
The maximum sentence on conVic
ton was life Imprisonment at hard
labor and the court brought in this
pronouncement against him and Ion
Mihalache, Peasant Party vice-pres-
ident. Then the tribunal announced
that because of the advanced age Of
DR.. Manu- and Mr.. Mihalache they
would be ordered to life impriSon-
ment in solitary confinement.
Two Lose Personal Fortunes.
There is no death sentence for
treason during peacetime in Ro-
mania, thus making it impossible for
DR.. Manu- to share the fate of Nikola
Petkov, Bulgarian Peasant leader
who was hanged by the Communist
led regime in Sofia for treason.
DR.. Manu- and Mr. Mihalache were
also deprived of their personal for
tunes and sentenced to civil degra-
dation." None of the accused was
present for the sentencing, which
brought forth applause from the
court room audience.
The other charges against DR..
MANU- which resulted in the l0-year
prison sentence included instigatlon
to armed rebellion, seeking to flee
the country, espionage and seeking
to overthrow the government.
The two men who received life
sentences at hard labor in absentla
were Alexander Cretbeanu and Girl
gore Niculescu-B -Buzesti. Constan-
tine Visioanu got IS and Grigore
Gafencu 20 years at hard labor in
absentia. Mr.. Niculescu- -Buzesti and
Mr. Visoianu arrived in New YORK
from Europe two days after the trial
began. In addition all four were
sentenced to civil degradation.
Others Given Sentences.
Others sentenced were:
Victor Radulescu-Pogoneanu, for
mer counsellor in the Romanlan
Foreign Ministry, 25 years solitary
confinement and 11ve years civil
degradation.
Camil Demetrescu, former For
eign Ministry legation secretary,
IS years solitary confinement.
lie Lazar, II years confinement.
Vasile Serdici, press chief for the
National ePasant Party, 10 years
solitary confinement.
Radu Niculescue- -Buzesti, brother
of Grigore, 10 years solitary conf1ne-
ment.
Col. Stefan Stoica, eight years
solitary confinement.
Nicoiai Carandino, six years soli'
tarv confinement.
Emil Oprisanu, former secretary
to the RonRnian peace delegation
In Paris. five years confinement.
NjcOlai Benescu, secretary genera.