FreeEx • Libertatea de exprimare
, 27 Sep 2018
Am transmis astazi o scrisoare deschisa catre lideri ai grupurilor politice din Parlamentul European:
Attn. of:
Mr. Udo Bullman, President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists andDemocrats Group
Mrs. Ska Keller, Co-President of the Greens/EPA Group
Mr. Manfred Weber, President of the European People’s Party Group
Dear Mrs. Ska Keller, Dear Mr. Udo Bullman, and Dear Mr. Manfred Weber,
We would like to thank you very much for your interest in regards to the state of democracy in Romania.
Please find below an open letter drafted for your information, after your meetings, this week, with the Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila.
Mircea Toma
President of ActiveWatch
Open letter
Current Romanian leaders adhere to European values only when in Brussels
Taking into account the recent disinformation campaign carried out by the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă during her visit at Brussels this week, we would like to bring to your attention some of the actions of the current Romanian Government coalition that are in direct conflict with the Prime Minister’s declarations.
During her visit, Viorica Dăncilă made claims that the Romanian authorities respect democratic values and principles, including freedom of expression, which, according to her, "is not, and will never be limited or suspended". In fact, since the accession to power of the current government coalition, comprised of the Social Democrat Party (PSD) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats Party (ALDE), the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are constantly being challenged in Romania. Three examples:
Also, in what regards sexual minority rights, PM Dăncilă has claimed that the upcoming referendum on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriages is not aimed against any sexual minority (yet, if adopted, it would make it extremely hard for same-sex couples to ever be granted, in the future, a right to marry or start a family in Romania - our comment) and that PSD will not carry out any campaign aimed at influencing voters’ opinion. In fact:
Taken all this into account, we urge the European Parliament, the European Commission as well as the Progressive Alliance of Socialists andDemocrats and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe to take all the measures needed to help restore Romania on its European track.
Mircea Toma
President
ActiveWatch
ActiveWatch is a human rights organization and a media watchdog in Romania, with over 20 years of experience in promoting good governance policies for protecting the rights to freedom of expression, freedom to peaceful assembly, and minority rights.
ActiveWatch is a member of the Reporters without Borders Network, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), and the International Network Against Cyber-hate.