Media freedom partners have urged Romania’s government to launch a fresh investigation to discover the source of a leak of private photos of investigative journalist Emilia Sercan.
The International Press Institute (IPI) on Thursday joined nine European and international press freedom and freedom of expression organizations to condemn the harassment of journalist Emilia Șercan.
They expressed ‘serious concerns about the case’ and its implications for media freedom in Romania.
The groups sent an open letter to Romanian authorities calling for swift and independent investigations.
They said that threats and harassment of Ms Șercan, 45, are „set against a background of recent aggression and undue pressure against journalists and media workers in Romania coming from politicians, prosecutors, police, and military officers.”
Last week, Ms Șercan publicly denounced attempts to personally compromise her and accused police of leaking evidence from a criminal complaint she’d filed alleging blackmail.
After she filed the complaint, her intimate photos were leaked to a site in Moldova.
She has made her name_ often defying threats_ by uncovering a high-level ring of fraudulent PhDs.
In her latest report published on Jan. 18, she claimed that the prime minister, Nicolae Ciuca, had plagiarized some of his doctoral thesis. He denies wrongdoing.
The National Council for Attestation of University Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates will review the case and issue a ruling.
