The Bucharest Court of Appeals on Monday evening announced that it distances itself from the protest actions organized in front of the court by a few hundred magistrates.
“The Bucharest Court of Appeal distances itself from the magistrates protesting on December 18 2017 in front of this institution’s headquarters, upon the individual initiative of several judges. Moreover, the Bucharest Court of Appeals underscored the necessity of observing the legal provisions that regulate the statute of magistrates, the separation of state powers and the use solely of such instruments that the law and regulations find fit for expressing opinions,” reads a press release of the Court of Appeals.
Approximately 700 magistrates participated on Monday in a protest held in front of the Palace of Justice, where the Bucharest Court of Appeals has its headquarters. They “silently” protested against the modifications brought in parliament to the justice laws and criminal codes.
The protest took place after working hours, while there was no trial taking place at the Palace of Justice.
The protest was a silent one and took about an hour. The protesters had printed materials with excerpts from the justice laws, and also with the magistrate’s oath.
PG Lazar about magistrates’ protests: Anti-corruption lesson at European level of Romania’s magistracy
This is the anti-corruption lesson at European level of Romania’s magistracy – was the reaction of Romania’s Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar regarding the protests of judges and prosecutors against the amendments brought to the Justice laws.
“Looking on the bright side of things, it is good news, in the sense that we have a European level magistracy, a mature magistracy, which knows the values of the European culture and is capable of defending Justice. This is the anti-corruption lesson at European level of Romania’s magistracy,” Augustin Lazar stated, upon entering the seat of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM).
