Thousands of people took to the streets in Bucharest on Friday to protest alleged judicial corruption, following accusations that senior court officials have pressured judges and prosecutors to delay or influence cases.
The demonstrations were triggered by an investigation published this week by investigative outlet Recorder, which featured testimonies from magistrates describing intimidation, disciplinary threats, and systemic interference within Romania’s justice system. The report has drawn more than 3.5 million views in the EU country of 19 million, fuelling public anger and renewed calls for judicial independence.
Several thousand protesters gathered outside government buildings on Friday, demanding the resignation of the justice minister, the head of the High Court, and other senior officials. Chanting slogans including “Justice, not corruption” and “Thieves,” demonstrators said the revelations confirmed long-standing concerns about graft in the judiciary.
“Civil society does not accept a system that is inherently corrupt and designed to be manipulated from within,” said Vlad Voinea, a 40-year-old IT worker attending the protest with his daughter.
Similar rallies were held in cities across the country. In a rare public intervention, judge Raluca Moroșanu interrupted a press conference at the Bucharest Court of Appeals to denounce what she described as “terror” through disciplinary pressure.
Hundreds of judges and prosecutors have since signed an open letter warning of “deep and systemic dysfunctions” in the justice system. President Nicușor Dan has invited magistrates for talks later this month, calling the situation “very serious.”