The two Romanian People's Tribunals (Romanian: Tribunalele Poporului), the Bucharest People's Tribunal and the Northern Transylvania People's Tribunal (which sat in Cluj) were set up by the post-World War II government of Romania, overseen by the Allied Control Commission to try suspected war criminals, in line with Article 14 of the Armistice Agreement with Romania which said: "The Romanian Government and High Command undertake to collaborate with the Allied (Soviet) High Command in the apprehension and trial of persons accused of war crimes".
At the main trial, in May 1946, of the leaders of the former Fascist government of Ion Antonescu, twenty four defendants stood before the Tribunal.
[3][4] The Cluj Tribunal and it successors sentenced 481 people: 370 were Hungarian, 83 were German, 26 were Romanian, and 2 were Jewish.
[3][4] A high percentage of those condemned to death (including Hungarian writer Albert Wass) were tried in absentia and their sentences were never carried out.
Those convicted of war crimes, who had demonstrated good behaviour in prison were eligible for immediate release under a decree issued in 1950.