{"id":5518,"date":"2025-12-15T19:43:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=5518"},"modified":"2025-12-15T19:43:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:43:47","slug":"romanians-mount-mass-protests-over-judicial-corruption-corruption-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=5518","title":{"rendered":"Romanians mount mass protests over judicial corruption | Corruption News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Demonstrations have run for fifth day in support of judges and prosecutors who denounced systemic abuse in an explosive documentary film.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 15 Dec 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">15 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Mass protests have filled the streets of several Romanian cities for a fifth day in a row against alleged judicial corruption.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands took to the streets of capital Bucharest and other cities on Sunday to show support for judges and prosecutors that denounced systemic abuse in the judicial system in an investigative documentary.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Aired by media outlet Recorder on Tuesday, the documentary alleged that politically backed senior judges use legal loopholes for unethical practices \u2013 including questionable acquittals. Judges and prosecutors who complain assert that they often face disciplinary action.<\/p>\n<p>Roughly 10,000 people marched in Bucharest on Sunday evening, chanting \u201cJustice not corruption\u201d and \u201cIndependence not obedience\u201d, according to the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands of protesters also gathered in other cities across Romania, as they have each day since the protests erupted on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>The same day, several hundred judges and prosecutors signed an open letter on social media denouncing \u201cprofound and systemic dysfunction\u201d in the justice system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTruth and integrity must not be penalised but protected. Silence is not an option when the values of the profession are threatened,\u201d said the letter, which attracted support from politicians and business leaders.<\/p>\n<p>President Nicusor Dan announced he would hold consultations with members of the judiciary on December 22, saying the number of complaints regarding \u201can integrity problem in the justice system\u201d indicated \u201cthings are very serious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Judicial corruption has been a long-running issue in Romania. The southeastern European state\u2019s judicial system was kept under special monitoring by Brussels even after it had met the requirements to join the European Union in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>That observation was lifted in 2023. The pace of anticorruption investigations has since slowed, and the judiciary has delivered some high-level acquittals that have raised concerns that the fight against corruption has waned.<\/p>\n<p>Romania, which ranks poorly in Transparency International\u2019s corruption perception index, included corruption among the main vulnerabilities in its new defence strategy adopted by parliament in November.<\/p>\n<p>Several judges and prosecutors who have spoken out against systemic abuses over the years have been transferred, demoted, investigated or sacked outright.<\/p>\n<p>One of the courts mentioned in the documentary, the Bucharest Court of Appeal, defended itself in a news conference last week, but one of its judges broke ranks and publicly denounced pressure behind closed doors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are simply terrorised with disciplinary actions,\u201d Raluca Morosanu told the media, backing the allegations in the film.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Demonstrations have run for fifth day in support of judges and prosecutors who denounced systemic abuse in an explosive documentary film. Published On 15 Dec 202515 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Mass protests have filled the streets of several Romanian cities for a fifth day in a row against [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}