The former head of a notorious Romanian Communist prison is appealing his 20-year jail term, his lawyer said Friday.
"I submitted the appeal to the Bucharest Court of Appeals yesterday evening," Alexandru Visinescu's court-appointed lawyer Valentina Bornea told AFP.
Visinescu, 89, had been on trial since September on charges of "crimes against humanity" and operating an "extermination regime".
At least 14 people died during Visinescu's time at the head of the Ramnicu Sarat prison for political detainees in eastern Romania, which he ran from 1956 to 1963.
All prisoners were held in solitary confinement, denied the right to speak to anyone and suffering hunger and beatings.
Visinescu said he was obeying orders from his superiors.
During the trial, his lawyer said that "there is no proof of the intention of the accused to inflict additional suffering compared to the legislation" at the time.