Investigative journalist Emilia Șercan has been the target of harassment and smears campaign since publishing an article on January 18, 2022, alleging that Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă plagiarized his doctoral dissertation. (Anamaria Dinulescu)

CPJ joins call for Romanian authorities to investigate harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined nine international press freedom organizations in an open letter on April 14, 2022, calling on Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and other government officials to conduct a swift and independent investigation into the harassment of investigative journalist Emilia Șercan.

Since January, Șercan has 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.

In the letter, the groups state that they have “serious concerns” about Șercan’s case, as well as its broader implications for press freedom in the country. The letter calls on authorities to thoroughly investigate whether any law enforcement officials leaked information related to Șercan’s case, and to hold all those responsible for harassing the journalist to account.

The full text of the letter can be read here.