The US Embassy in Bucharest and the European Commission expressed concern on Wednesday after a Romanian judge was expelled from the magistracy over posts on TikTok.
Accused of behavior that affects the image of the Romanian justice system, Judge Cristi Danileţ, who works at a court in the central city of Cluj, was given the disciplinary measure by the Superior Council of Magistracy, a body which oversees the independence of Romania’s judiciary.
The US Embassy said in a statement that they’re deeply concerned about judge Danileţ’s expulsion from the Romanian magistracy, stressing that an independent judiciary is essential for any democracy.
Danileţ explained in a post on Facebook, where he has over 90,000 followers, that he was expelled for two clips he published on TikTok last year and that shows him doing chores in his home: cutting a garden hedge and cleaning a pool,
He plans to challenge the Supreme Court’s decision.
Well-known for his social media posts, Danileţis is an outspoken critic of plans to weaken anti-corruption efforts and has also published a handbook of judicial education for children.
His dismissal echoes of Romania’s recent past when the controversial attempts to overhaul the judiciary have placed the country at loggerheads with the EU Commission and other partners.
During Romania’s largest street demonstrations since the 1989 fall of communism, thousands of Romanians took to the streets in 2017 and 2018 to defend the independence of the judiciary.
Be the first to comment