On 7 May 1996, Liviu Man, the Romanian-language correspondent in Cluj for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), received several threatening telephone calls at both his office and his home from anonymous individuals. The callers told Man to stop reporting on “incidents that incriminated President Iliescu” and “to calm down.” Man later lodged a complaint at […]
On 7 May 1996, Liviu Man, the Romanian-language correspondent in
Cluj for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), received
several threatening telephone calls at both his office and his
home from anonymous individuals. The callers told Man to stop
reporting on “incidents that incriminated President Iliescu” and
“to calm down.” Man later lodged a complaint at the local police
station. On 3 May, following President Ion Iliescu’s visit to
Cluj, Man reported on a group of protesters who were assaulted by
several unidentified individuals. The latter left the scene in
vehicles that reportedly belonged to the ruling Social Democratic
Party of Romania (PDSR).
Also on 7 May, the president of the PDSR, Adrian Nastase, wrote
to the National Radio and Television Council (CNA), which
regulates the broadcasting industry, complaining about the BBC
service in Romania. In the letter, he denounced the practice of
rebroadcasting BBC Romanian-language reports on local radio
stations, and asked that it be changed. Consequently, on 13 May,
representatives from the BBC are to appear before the CNA in
order to explain the practice.
Previously, on 4 May, Nastase expressed criticism of the BBC
during a public meeting, citing Man’s reporting in particular.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
against Liviu Man, and that the results be made public
whose role is essential for the democratic development of Romania
services of the BBC
Appeals To
His Excellency Ion Iliescu
President
Office of the President
Piata Victoriei 49-53
Bucharest, Romania
Fax: +40 1 312 11 79
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
