The protest of magistrates from Cluj Napoca. More than 200 prosecutors and judges, with white bands on their arm, came in front of the local courtroom.
Prosecutors and judges from dozens of courts in the country protested silently at 12.00 on Friday in front of the institutions where they work. At present, the movement of magistrates has expanded to over 80 courts and prosecutors’ offices, including the most important and the largest of them –protests against OUG 7 by suspending the activity (several hours per day) or other forms, including in the Supreme Court, General Prosecutor’s Office, DIICOT and DNA.
They went to the streets not only in major cities, such as Bucharest, Cluj, Timisoara, Constanta, Brasov, but also in Bacau, Oradea, Sibiu, etc.
While protesters ask for the repealing of OUG 7, Minister Tudorel Toader discussed on Friday with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila about the OUG that will amend this document. For now, the PSD-ALDE coalition has decided that they do not give up all articles in this act.
The new draft will also be sent to the CSM on Friday.
The protest on the stairs of the Palace of Justice in Bucharest
Magistrates also demand the suspension of operations in the Department of judiciary criminal investigation, pending the ruling of the EU Court of Justice on the notification regarding the existence of SIIJ and the implementation of the recommendations of MCV, the Venice Commission and GRECO.
Those who protested on Friday in front of the courts and prosecutor’s offices wore A4 sheets on which they wrote: Rule of Law, Separation of Powers in State, Repeal Government Emergency Ordinance 7, and OUG 7 allows the control of the judiciary, etc.
In some cities, magistrates were supported by passers-by or local civic groups who offered flowers and traditional trinkets to woman judges and prosecutors who protest.
Pressures at Prosecutor’s Office attached to Dolj Court
A special case was presented by G4Media that discovered the general meeting refused to discuss a potential action of solidarity with colleagues in the country after the Prime prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office attached to Dolj Court, Marin Rogoveanu, threatened those who would suspend the activity with referral to the Judicial inspection. Also, those who would interrupt the work would not get their salaries paid, Marin Rogoveanu said.
Prosecutors with the Prosecutor’s Office attached to Craiova Court have already decided to suspend their activity, and Marin Rogoveanu, as an authorising officer, threatened to cut all their salaries during the protests.
The suspension of prosecutors’ activity, according to G4Media sources, does not mean the total cessation of a prosecutor’s work, as serious or urgent cases are to be handled and most of them are urgent.
What’s next
At the beginning of the week, general assemblies should determine what claims will be sent to the CSM, based on which a clear and joint list will be made and that will represent the mandate for the Council in any discussion on the OUG.
Also, in the general assemblies, the instruction of the CSM chairman for notifying the CCR will also be voted. Judge Lia Savonea, who holds this position, is considered a close person to some PSD leaders and did not consider it necessary to do so.
According to the law, only the CSM president can do that. We recall that in 2017 Mariana Ghinea, who was then the chairman, attacked OUG 13 to the CCR through a request for solving a legal constitutional conflict that occurred between:
- Government and Parliament, namely the executive and legislative power, on the one hand
- between the Government and the CSM, namely the executive and the judicial authorities, on the other.
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