Urging the Romanian authorities to expedite an investigation into the harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan

Emilia Șercan

On Tuesday, June 28, international press freedom organizations expressed their deep concern about the delays in the investigation into the harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan.

Following the publication of an article January 18 alleging that Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had plagiarized his doctoral dissertation, Ercan has received threatening emails and social media messages, and several intimate photographs have been shared online.

Organizations advocating free press wrote to Romanian authorities in April 2022, urging a prompt and independent investigation into Ercan's case. As stated in the June 28 letter, the press freedom organizations note that law enforcement authorities appear to have failed to make progress in the case and that authorities are not devoting sufficient resources to the investigation.

The full text of the letter can be read here.