Romanian president, anti-graft prosecutor’s use of word “criminal” draws complaint

The National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) received a complaint against Romania’s President and the country's chief anticorruption prosecutor over how they used the terms “criminals” (penali) and “delinquents” (infractori) when referring to what they called attacks on the country’s justice system. The CNCD president, Csaba Asztalos, told TV station Digi 24 that the complaint was filled by “a media outlet.” President Klaus Iohannis and prosecutor Laura Codruța Kovesi recently used the terms when referring to the media scandal about anticorruption prosecutors allegedly fabricating evidence. Kovesi spoke of a “defendants’ festival” and an attack on the country’s justice system. President Iohannis referred to group of people with law problems making desperate efforts to discredit the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) and its leadership. The CNCD is also currently looking at cases related to antisemitism and the denial of the Holocaust, and to the banning of some public manifestations, Asztalos also said. In October of last year, several MPs representing the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) planned changes to the Criminal Code so as to include a sanction for public statements that include the words criminals (“penali”) and imprisonable (“puscariabili”). Council says Romanian PM’s autism comment doesn’t constitute discrimination editor@romania-insider.com