site.btaProtest in Bucharest Calls for Urgent Justice System Reforms

Some thousand people gathered in Victory Square, in front of the Romanian government building in Bucharest, on Thursday evening to demand urgent reforms to the justice system. The protest was sparked by an investigation by the news website Recorder, in which several former and current magistrates described pressure within the judiciary that has led to major corruption cases being postponed.

Protesters called for the resignations of High Court of Cassation President Lia Savonea, the leadership of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu, and Justice Minister Radu Marinescu. They also demanded legislative changes to close loopholes that allow trials to be delayed until the statute of limitations expires.

The protest began with chants supporting Judge Raluca Morosanu of the Criminal Division of the Bucharest Court of Appeal. At an extraordinary press conference earlier in the day, she confirmed that everything her colleague Laurentiu Besu told Recorder about irregularities in the judicial system is true.

"Optimized justice," "Justice, not corruption," "Police everywhere, justice nowhere," "If you care, come out of your homes," and "Independent, not obedient magistrates," were some of the chants protesters shouted throughout the evening.

"We are tired of seeing that we are not equal before the law. We are desperate that some magistrates do not administer justice fairly and in society’s interest," one of the protesters told the Bulgarian News Agency. "Millions of us are suffering because of the way the justice system is run," he added.

Protesters said the President must take a firm stance on the problems exposed within the judiciary.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, the head of State invited all magistrates who wish to raise concerns about the system to an "open-ended" discussion on December 22.

Earlier on Thursday, 178 judges and prosecutors from across Romania also used social media to express solidarity with the magistrates who made the revelations in the Recorder documentary.

Protests were also held in Iasi and Cluj-Napoca.