The Committee to Protect Journalists joined nine other international press freedom organizations in a letter to Romanian authorities on February 17, 2023, expressing deep concern over delays in the investigation into the harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan.
Despite earlier calls to Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other government officials, authorities have failed to investigate the harassment of Șercan, the letter states. Starting in January 2022, Șercan received threatening emails and social media messages, and several intimate photos of her were shared online after she published an article alleging that Ciucă had plagiarized his doctoral dissertation.
The organizations renewed their call on authorities to prioritize the investigation and dedicate sufficient resources to it, and address an ongoing smear campaign aimed at discrediting Șercan’s journalism.