Massive protests continued for a sixth day in the Romanian capital Bucharest, calling for an overhaul of the country’s judicial system and supporting judges and prosecutors who are standing up to systemic abuses, Reuters reports.
About 700 Romanian judges and prosecutors have signed an open letter published on social media, denouncing the depth and systemic dysfunction of the justice system.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan responded by announcing that he would hold consultations with members of the judiciary on the 22nd of December, and said that when so many judges complain about problems with the integrity of the justice system, the situation is very serious.
The open letter follows a documentary by the independent media outlet Recorder that shows that chief judges with political backing exploit loopholes in the system to engage in unethical practices, including issuing questionable acquittals, and that judges or prosecutors who complain about this often face disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, judges overseeing Romania’s justice system have said
the documentary is an attempt to undermine the country’s judiciary.
About 10,000 people took to the streets of Bucharest on the 14th of December, chanting slogans such as “Justice, not corruption,” “We see you,” and “Independence, not submission.” Large crowds of protesters have also gathered in other Romanian cities.
Legal experts have said that changes adopted in 2022 that gave the chief judges of the judicial system’s supervisory bodies power over their subordinates opened the door to the abuses that are currently being discussed. After joining the European Union in 2007, Brussels kept a close eye on Romania’s justice system, but the supervision was lifted in 2023. Since then, corruption investigations have slowed down, and courts have handed down several high-profile acquittals, raising concerns that the fight against corruption has weakened.
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