ECHR condemns Romania for failing to sanction man who shared intimate images with no consent

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Romania on Tuesday, December 3, for failing to punish a man who published intimate photos of his former partner online.

Specifically, the Court found Romania guilty of violating Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which pertains to respect for private and family life.

“In the middle of 2016, at the age of 18, [the victim] met a then 20-year-old man, on a social-network website. They developed a relationship which ended in October of that year. After their relationship ended, the man sent intimate photographs of the victim to her family and her brother’s friends from fake social-media accounts that were set up to look like her friends’ accounts,” the ruling mentions.

“He then put the same photographs, along with her contact details, on escort websites. She received calls afterwards from people seeking sexual services,” the case file adds.

The young woman quickly filed a complaint, but the criminal investigation and proceedings remained pending for a long time, until the statute of limitations expired for criminal liability. After exhausting all avenues of appeal in Romania, she lodged a complaint with the ECHR in 2021.

The Human Rights Court found that Romanian authorities had excessive delays in dealing with the case and that the legal framework in Romania was inadequate, failing to protect the young woman from online violence. It also cited the "disregard" of the authorities, who deemed the complainant partially responsible for the acts in question.

As a result, the ECHR ordered Romania to pay the complainant EUR 700 in material damages, EUR 7,500 in moral damages, and EUR 125 for legal expenses.

(Photo source: Awargula | Dreamstime.com)