Romanian Court Declares a Man Dead Despite Him Being Alive

A 63-year-old Romanian man named Constantin Reliu is officially considered "dead" by the Romanian government, despite being alive and well. Reliu was deported back to Romania after living in Turkey for 20 years. When he arrived, border officials told him he was declared legally dead in 2016 and would have to pass several tests to prove his identity.

The Associated Press reports that Reliu went through hours of questioning, took his fingerprints, and had his body measurements taken to see if his proportions corresponded to his old passport photo. The tests confirmed his identity.

After border officials released him, Reliu went to court to have his wrongful death certificate appealed, but authorities rejected his request because he took too long to appeal it. Consequently, he's currently still legally registered as deceased.

“I am officially dead, although I’m alive,” he said. “I have no income, and because I am listed as dead, I can’t do anything. I think I am going to cry.”

According to the AP, Reliu left Romania in 1992 for a job in Turkey. He returned to Romania in 1995, but after finding out his wife was unfaithful, he cut ties with his family and moved back to Turkey for good.

Reliu's wife acquired a death certificate for her husband in 2016 after years of no communication. He says he doesn't know anything about his wife's current life, other than she now resides in Italy.

“I am not sure whether I am divorced or not,” he said. “I am not sure whether she is married to someone else or not. Nobody will tell me.”

He also says returning to Turkey is not an option either due to his expired papers.

Source: The Guardian