**Updates IFEX alert of 4 August 1998** (CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ strongly protests the 23 July 1998 sentencing, by an Iasi city court, of Romanian journalists Ovidiu Scutelnicu and Dragos Stingu to one year in prison for criminal libel. The decision, once carried out, will make Romania the second country in the former Eastern bloc (after […]
**Updates IFEX alert of 4 August 1998**
(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ strongly protests the 23 July 1998 sentencing, by an Iasi
city court, of Romanian journalists Ovidiu Scutelnicu and Dragos Stingu to
one year in prison for criminal libel. The decision, once carried out, will
make Romania the second country in the former Eastern bloc (after
Uzbekistan) to imprison journalists for defamation.
Scutelnicu and Stingu are reporters for “Monitorul”, one of the most popular
independent dailies in northeast Romania. Petre Susanu, a local police
colonel, and his wife, Otilia, a top city court official, brought libel
charges against the two journalists for a 27 May article, “Dismissal at the
Top of the Iasi Police,” which described his firing from the police force.
The article evaluated the grounds for Susanu’s dismissal and questioned the
origins of the colonel’s wealth. Several members of Susanu’s family hold
positions in the city court system, including the couple’s daughter, who is
a judge, and son-in-law, who is a prosecutor. This prompted Scutelnicu and
Stingu to request that the case be
transfered to another venue, because they believed their trial would be
unfair. The Supreme Court rejected their request however, providing no
explanation.
The reporters were convicted of libel under article 206 of the penal code
and remain free pending an appeal filed with the same Iasi court on 3
August. Under Romanian law, this is their only opportunity to appeal the
decision. On top of the prison sentence, the court ordered the journalists
to pay a 1.5 billion lei fine (about US$170,000), stripped them of their
civil rights, and barred them from practicing their profession for one year.
On 5 August, Justice Minister Valeriu Stoica promised to file an
extraordinary appeal with the Supreme Court on the journalists’ behalf if
the Iasi court rejects their appeal.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
Scutelnicu and Dragos Stingu for defamation as a violation of all
international norms on press freedom
journalists’ rights as guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, and the other
multilateral treaties, are upheld
journalists with up to three years in prison for libel and defamation. The
European Court of Human Rights, and other international courts, have ruled
there are ample civil remedies for libel
Appeals To
His Excellency Emil Constantinescu
President of Romania
Bucharest, Romania
Fax: +401 312 1179
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
