Protests reignite in Romania after changes to criminal procedure code

A protest has been announced for today, June 20, after the Chamber of Deputies adopted several changes to the criminal procedure code and after information emerged that president Klaus Iohannis could be suspended. The protest has been announced on Facebook with the title “Ultimatum for the PSD.” It is scheduled to take place in front of the Palace of Parliament after 12:00 pm. “Ultimatum for Dragnea! PSD, take note, if you start the procedure to suspend the president, you won’t have where to hide from the Romanian people!” a description of the Facebook event reads. Several other protests have been announced throughout the country also for today, after 18:00. The cities where protests have been called are Suceava, Iaşi, Galaţi, Sibiu, Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Braşov, Brăila, Ploieşti, Alba Iulia, Constanţa, Miercurea Ciuc, Călăraşi , Focşani, Piatra Neamţ, Tulcea, Craiova, Piteşti, Buzău, Târgu Jiu, Oradea, Botoşani, Bacău, Vaslui, Târgovişte, Arad and Timişoara. Miscarea Romania Impreuna, the new political party of former prime minister Dacian Cioloș, announced protests in these cities. Outside of Romania, a protest was called in Dublin and one in Paris, also on June 20. At the same time, eleven protesters of the Rezist movement were protesting on June 20 on the hall of the Parliament during the speech of prime minister Viorica Dăncilă. They chanted slogans such as “Justice, not corruption!”, “A nest of thieves and mafia,” “Dragnea, do not forget, this is not your country.”

During the evening of June 19, over 3,000 people protested in Cluj-Napoca against the changes to the criminal procedure code. The protesters gathered in the city’s Unirii Square and chanted slogans such as “Thieves,” “Resignation,” “United we save Romania,” “Justice not corruption.”

The new provisions of the criminal procedure code favor people targeted by criminal investigations as they limit the possibility to perform wiretaps and shorten the prosecution stage. If prosecutors can’t send someone to court within a year, the case is automatically closed. The changes were voted during an evening session, although the Chamber didn’t initially have this on its agenda for the day. The Chamber of Deputies’ Judicial Committee also voted a draft bill initiated by 16 MPs of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) that aims to partly decriminalize bribery. Meanwhile, the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR), and the People’s Movement Party (PMP) have submitted a no-confidence motion against the government. The motion is signed by 152 MPs. The opposition parties in the Parliament could gather 165 out of the total 233 votes needed for the motion to pass, even if they are supported by MPs who joined the