On 11 July 1996, journalists Radu Mazare and Constantin Cumpana were sentenced to seven months in prison, and a 25 million lei fine for libel. Mazare, the editor, and Cumpana, a reporter at the daily newspaper “Telegraf” in Constanta, were charged with libel in connection with a 1992 article in the newspaper about corruption in […]
On 11 July 1996, journalists Radu Mazare and Constantin Cumpana
were sentenced to seven months in prison, and a 25 million lei
fine for libel. Mazare, the editor, and Cumpana, a reporter at the
daily newspaper “Telegraf” in Constanta, were charged with libel
in connection with a 1992 article in the newspaper about
corruption in the Constanta city council. The former deputy mayor
of the council, Dan Miron, was forced to step down two months
after the article appeared. Revi Moga, another figure named in the
article, a former legal counsel for the city council, charged the
journalists with libel in April 1994. (She is now a judge in a
local Constanta court.)
After receiving a guilty verdict in a local court in October 1994,
the journalists appealed to the District Court in November 1995,
but their appeal was rejected. In April 1996, the General
Prosecutor of Romania, Manea Dragulin, contested the guilty
verdict on behalf of the journalists and the case was heard at the
Supreme Court of Romania this month. On 11 July, the journalists’
appeal was rejected again and the two were sentenced.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
freedom in Romania
because such laws are used exclusively to silent dissent against
government officials and shield such officials from scrutiny in
the press
Mazare and Cumpana is reversed and all charges against them are
dropped immediately
Appeals To
His Excellency Ion Iliescu
President of Romania
Office of the President
Piata Victoriei 49-53
Bucharest, Romania
Fax: +401 312 1179Mr. Iosif Chiuzbaian
Minister of Justice of Romania
Bucharest, Romania
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
