UM 0215 (Military Unit 0215, colloquially known as Doi și-un sfert, "Two and a quarter," or "Quarter past two") was a Romanian intelligence agency in the 1990s that was built upon the Bucharest branch of the Socialist Republic of Romania's Securitate.[1] Its main purpose was to subvert the opposition,[2] particularly during the Golaniad mass protests in Bucharest. The agency was also involved in the violent interventions against the protesters (the Mineriad).[3]
Creation
editCreated in February 1990 with President Ion Iliescu's approval, it was made up of Securitate officers who had been placed in reserve following the Romanian Revolution of 1989.[4]
Activities
editThe agency received criticism from the media, as well as from Western governments and NGOs and journalists, for having ex-Securitate members and for its modus operandi.[4] It collected information on politicians, journalists and trade union leaders, as well as Romanians abroad and foreigners in Romania.[1] It was accused of being a political police.
Dissolution
editIn 1998, it was disbanded and, following background checks from a governmental commission, some of its agents were taken over by the newly created criminal intelligence agency, Direcția Generală de Informații și Protecție Internă.[4] Where UM 0215 had 1,440 staff members, the new agency had a sharply reduced 150 staff members.[1]
The proposal to disband it completely was not taken into consideration because some feared that the agents would join the Greater Romania Party.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Shentov, Ognian (2004-01-01). Partners in Crime: The Risks of Symbiosis Between the Security Sector and Organized Crime in Southeast Europe. CSD. ISBN 9789544771157.
- ^ a b Gallagher, Tom (2008-03-01). Modern Romania: The End of Communism, the Failure of Democratic Reform, and the Theft of a Nation. NYU Press. p. 174. ISBN 9780814732014.
- ^ Cox, Terry (2013-09-13). Reflections on 1989 in Eastern Europe. Routledge. ISBN 9781317980391.
- ^ a b c Bruneau, Thomas C.; Boraz, Steven C. (2009-04-20). Reforming Intelligence: Obstacles to Democratic Control and Effectiveness. University of Texas Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780292783416.