Romanian police on Tuesday have questioned well-known blogger, Andrei Caramitru, after a former presidential candidate filed a complaint against him over a Facebook post.
The move shocked Romanians where freedom of speech is guaranteed and there have been no recent reprisals against journalists and bloggers over their political views.
Romania’s IPJ llfov police department confirmed that “a complaint was registered, by a 62-year-old man (Eds: Calin Georgescu), regarding the publication on social media of a message that incited hatred.”
Pro-Russian outsider Georgescu emerged the winner in the first round of presidential elections, going from single-digits to defeat well known politicians Elena Lasconi and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.
Two days before the second round of voting, the Romanian Constitutional Court annulled the presidential election after intelligence reports of a sophisticated campaign of Russian interference.
Caramitru confirmed that the complaint was “made directly by Calin Georgescu about a mundane post. Basically, it’s a post in which I made a historical analysis of other messianic episodes… in which I basically asked that these situations be neutralized as I have said a hundred thousand times in all my other posts,” Andrei Caramitru said.
“I am calling on state authorities… the Constitutional Court and others to act according to the law, obviously. … The complaint has no legal basis,” the blogger added.
Asked if he expected to be called for questioning over a post, Caramitru, 48, replied: “Absolutely not, it shocked me.”
In an update after the questioning, Caramitru said on Facebook: “CG is desperate. He is now filing criminal complaints for posts that do not suit him.”
“It was not enough to make direct threats to hundreds of people. I am the proud recipient of such a complaint. I declare myself honored and I will not leave it like this. So in short – I was called to the police thanks to my opinions, directly by CG!”
“ This man wants dictatorship – and beware !! …. He monitors what we write here and probably wants to put everyone in the Black Sea Canal (Eds: where communists sent political prisoners) No one escapes what you think!”, wrote Andrei Caramitru.
“Intimidation does not work”, he said, adding “authorities must urgently do their job”.
Public figures reacted to the development with concern. Caramitru is the eldest son of late actor Ion Caramitru who played a key role in Romania’s anti-communist revolution.
Journalist Lucian Mândruţă responded saying he’d ‘liked’ Caramitru’s post and was “already packing my suitcase with cold weather clothes” an allusion that he expected to be deported to Russia in the event that Georgescu was elected president.
University professor Cristian Paun called on Romanians not to remain silent.
” The silence of the institutions has never led to anything good. Many treat the subject with non-seriousness. I’m not targeted. It doesn’t affect me directly. I don’t have to care. I have no reason to get involved. I have no reason to take a stand. I don’t even go to vote, I don’t have anyone to vote for… Only now do I understand the words of Camil Petrescu (Romanian author) who obsessively repeated to me when we met: “freedom of expression is holy, Cristi!”. Only now do I understand…”, wrote Cristian Păun.
