Media NGOs are concerned about the attitude of the members of the Superior Council of Magistracy (SCM) towards the investigative journalist Mariana Rata, who was publicly admonished at the SCM meeting.

After the investigation "Judges of the stolen billion" was published on anticoruptie.md, the journalist was invited to the SCM meeting "for the correct information of the public and for the first source information". An inaccuracy in terms of the name of the judge who issued the ordinance was found in the journalistic investigation. Although the author of the investigation admitted the mistake and committed to remove it immediately, explaining that the error could be avoided if she had received information to the requests for access to the documents published on the Single Courts Portal, yet the SCM members considered it necessary to blame her publicly for almost half an hour, accusing her of not making any effort to find the true name of the judge who issued the ordinance. We draw attention that the SCM did not focus its attention on the serious system problems revealed in Mariana Rata's investigation, but on a regrettable mistake of the journalist, the mistake being minor in relation to the reported problems.

We consider the attitude of the CSM members to be unacceptable and we regard such public and collective admonitions as intimidation against journalists.

We recall that access to court judgments published on the Single Courts Portal is limited for more than half a year by excluding the possibility of seeking judgments by the names of the sides. Media representatives and civil society have repeatedly signaled that these restrictions might cause some mistakes in the press because journalists cannot check the information.

We call on the authorities not to hinder journalists' access to public information. We ask repeatedly the reintroduction of the possibility of seeking court judgments by parties' names and restoring the previous functionality of the courts portal. We ask the members of the Superior Council of Magistracy to refrain from actions that can be interpreted as intimidation of journalists. Also, we remind that the press institutions have their own self-regulatory body - the Press Council. Persons who believe that they have been intimidated by publishing an article may either appeal to the Press Council or start problem solving discussions with the editorial staff.

Center of Investigative Journalism
Center for Independent Journalism
Association of Independent Press
„Acces-Info” Center
Association of Electronic Press
Association of Independent TV Journalists
Press Freedom Committee