Liberty and Justice for Romanian journalists Liviu Man, Dan Parcalab and Aurelian Grama

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Free Romanian journalists Liviu Man, Dan Parcalab and Aurelian Grama.


The first journalists arrested in the European Union in 2007 are from Romania.

At the end of 2006 and the beggining of 2007 , by special forces actions, as in commando missions, were arrested journalists such as Liviu Man(former BBC correspondent and Romanian National Television manager), Dan Parcalab and Aurelian Grama, and employees Dorel Vidican, Ioan Otel, Aurel Muresan and Anca Cocut.


Commandoes enter in force their houses and newspapers editorial office, taking them from the middle of their families in front of their 8-10 aged children, although nobody disputed or tried to avoid the investigations.

These men run probably the most censorious on the politicians and their clientage local newspapers from Transilvania: Gazeta de Cluj, Gazeta de Oradea, Gazeta de Bistrita, Gazeta de Maramures, Ziarul de Mures, Zi de Zi si Buna Ziua, Ardeal.

We protest at the abusive actions of DIICOT (Direction for the Investigation of the Terrorism and Organized Crime Acts), actions that have as the main goal the fadeout of the freedom of speech and the shut down of the publications. Its impermissible for Romania to enter the European Union with destroyed editorial offices, journalists computers seized and pressmen arrested and hunted.

The journalists and employees were arrested without proofs or hints, only on the base of complaints made by politicians and business-men that were the subject of some firm articles, officers of the state, mayors, parliamentarians, even one of the prime ministers advisors.

Here is a short list of the entrenchments and illegalities made on this case:

1. The European Convention on Human Rights was defied, which states that the defendant will be informed immediately the prosecution has begun about the accusations that are brought to him and that they have the right to get an advocate. In this case, they were informed only after 1 year that the prosecution has begun and they have the right to get an advocate, just right when they were arrested.

2. They were never subpoenaed and informed to be able to defend themselves, they were restrained directly and arrested in a few hours, although the procurator were inquiring them for 1 year.

3. They werent listened in the moment of their preventive arrest.

4. They werent allowed to chose their advocate, by this infringing a basic right, the right to defense.

5. Although the action of the preventive arrest is optional, not obligatorily, they were all arrested, considering that in Romania are people inquired into terrorism whom were allowed to leave the country!

6. There arent proofs or hints which could led to their arrest, but only complaints made by interested people, whose illegal and immoral activities were the subject of some firmly press articles. Meanwhile the journalists are arrested, civil servants, from mayors to police men and revenue officers, which were in flagrante delicto taking bribe, were freed from jail.

7. How can they be held in jail because they represent a menace to the politicians, as the attorney alleged? Do the politicians feel in jeopardy in such a way that they would appeal to this extreme action of arresting journalists?

8. How can they be held in jail because they may destroy or deform the proofs, knowing that all these, computers and documents, are all in the possession of the investigators, seized since the beginning, when the perquisitions and arrests took place.

9. How can they be held in jail on the argument that the complaints belong to some important Romanian politicians and business-men? Is it important that they are politicians or if they are saying the truth or not?

10. It wasnt allowed for the advocates to study the file, in the moment of the preventive arrest; 5 advocates had only 30 minutes to study a file with hundreds of pages, an impermissible defection of the right to defensibility.

11. In the moment the preventive arrest was on trial, in just 10 minutes the law court deliberated, draw up the decision and 5 bench warrants, which is physically impossible considering the time needed. This thing demonstrates that the law court deliberated only formally, the decision for the arrest was taken before. The attorneys had the files at hand for 1 year, and the advocates only 30 minutes.

12. Their preventive arrest was based on the testimonials and documents that werent at the file at the moment of the trial, so they couldnt be rebutted, fact admitted even by the attorneys.

13. Although the requests for the temporarily dismission were justified and argued separate, the law court rejected all of them with the same explanation, just by changing the name of those arrested, which implies that there was a model of rejection copied for all those arrested.

14. Peculiar for this case is the fact that Dan Parcalab is arrested accused of money laundering, because his editorial office received some packages of meat, at Christmas, with a total value of 150 E, and the informer is a local councilman from Baia Mare, Mircea Dolha, whereof the newspaper managed by Dan Parcalab, Gazeta de Maramures, brought out some call recordings in which Dolha requested bribe of over 15 000 E.


How is possible that all people whose illegalities were described by the journalists are free and there was no action taken against them, while the journalists are in jail?

This is just a small part of the abuses and illegalities made with the goal of retrenching the journalists freedom of speech, by arresting them.

Outstanding is also the fact that Dan Parcalab is the first Romanian journalist to win a trial at the European Court Of Human Rights from Strasbourg, after he was condemned by all the law courts from Romania, in 1999, and being left alone to face the inequity even by his work mates.

Since January 15th 2007 Dan Parcalab is on hunger strike, in arrest, as a form of protest against the entrenchments made.

We want the justice to make its duty, to prove if they are guilty or not, but we consider that their inquiry while being held in arrest is an abuse.

We ask for equal treatment: the illegal activities of the politicians and their connections about whom press articles were written to be verified and sanctioned, not only the journalists to be inquired, and the illegalities of the politicians and their connections to be forgotten by the attorneys.

Attorneys, stop the pressures, the threats and the blackmail on the witnesses! We no longer live in dictatorship!
Freedom to Romanian journalists!


Catre Comisia de Petitii a Parlamentului European, Comisia Europeana, Curtea Europeana a Drepturilor Omului, Curtea de Justitie a Comunitatilor Europene, Parlamentul European, Partidul Popular European, Partidul European Liberal Democrat si Reformist, Partidul Socialist European


Apel pentru eliberarea jurnalistilor romani Liviu Man, Dan Parcalab si Aurelian Grama



Primii ziaristi arestati in Uniunea Europeana in 2007 sunt romani.

La sfarsitul anului 2006 si inceputul anului 2007 au fost arestati, prin actiuni ale trupelor speciale, ca in cazul unor misiuni de comando, ziaristii Liviu Man (fost corespondent al BBC si fost director in cadrul Televiziunii Romane), Dan Parcalab si Aurelian Grama, precum si angajatii Dorel Vidican, Ioan Otel, Aurel Muresan si Anca Cocut.

Trupe de mascati au intrat in forta in casele lor si in redactiile ziarelor, ridicandu-i din mijlocul familiilor pe o parte din ei, din fata copiilor de 8 - 10 ani, desi nimeni nu a opus rezistenta sau a intentionat sa se sustraga cercetarilor.

Ziaristii conduc probabil cele mai critice publicatii locale din Transilvania la adresa politicienilor si clientelei politice: Gazeta de Cluj, Gazeta de Oradea, Gazeta de Bistrita, Gazeta de Maramures, Ziarul de Mures, Zi de Zi si Buna ziua, Ardeal.

Protestam in fata actiunilor abuzive ale DIICOT (Directia de Investigare a Infractiunilor de Criminalitate Organizata si Terorismului), actiuni care au ca principal scop suprimarea libertatii de exprimare si inchiderea publicatiilor. Este inadbmisibil ca Romania sa intre in Uniunea Europeana cu redactii devastate, calculatoare ale ziaristilor sechestrate, ziaristi arestati si haituiti !

Ziaristii si angajatii au fost arestati fara probe si indicii temeinice, exclusiv pe baza delatiunilor unor politicieni si afaceristi care au facut obiectul unor articole extrem de dure, ale unor inalti functionari din aparatul de stat, primari, parlamentari, chiar un consilier la cabinetul primului ministru.

Iata o scurta lista a abuzurilor si ilegalitatilor comise in acest caz:

1. A fost incalcata Conventia Europeana a Drepturilor Omului, care prevede ca invinuitii sa fie informati imediat ce incepe urmarirea penala cu privire la acuzatiile ce li se aduc si la faptul ca au dreptul la un avocat. In acest caz, abia dupa 1 an au fost informati ca a inceput urmarirea penala impotriva lor si ca au dreptul la un avocat, adica in momentul arestarii.

2. Nu au fost citati si instiintati pentru a se putea apara, au fost direct retinuti si arestati in cateva ore, desi procurorii ii cercetau penal de 1 an de zile.

3. Nu au fost ascultati in momentul luarii masurii de arestare preventiva.

4. Nu au avut dreptul de a-si alege avocatul, incalcandu-se astfel un drept fundamental, dreptul la aparare.

5. Desi masura arestarii preventive este facultativa, nu obligatorie, toti au fost arestati, in conditiile in care in Romania sunt persoane cercetate pentru terorism carora li s-a permis sa plece din tara.

6. Nu exista probe sau indicii temeinice pentru arestarea lor, ci numai si numai delatiuni ale unor persoane interesate, ale caror activitati ilegale si imorale au facut obiectul unor materiale de presa dure. In acest timp, in care ziaristii sunt arestati, functionari ai statului, de la primari la politisti si vamesi, care au fost surprinsi in flagrant luand mita, au fost eliberati.

7. Cum pot fi tinuti in inchisoare pe motiv ca ar reprezenta un "pericol public la adresa politicienilor", dupa cum afirma procurorii in scris? Se simt politicienii atat de amenintati, incat sa recurga la masura extrema de a inchide ziaristi?

8. Cum poti fi tinuti in inchisoare pentru a nu distruge sau denatura probe, din moment ce toate acestea, calculatoare si documente, se afla toate in posesia anchetatorilor, sechestrate, ele fiind ridicate de le inceput, cu ocazia perchezitiilor si arestarilor?

9. Cum pot fi tinuti in inchisoare pe argumentul ca delatiunile sunt ale unor importanti politicieni romani si oameni de afaceri? Conteaza faptul ca sunt politicieni sau faptul ca spun adevarul sau mint?

10. Nu li s-a permis avocatilor sa studieze dosarul, in momentul arestarii preventive; 5 avocati au avut la dispozitie 30 de minute pentru a studia un dosar de sute de pagini, o incalcare inadmisibila a dreptului la aparare.

11. In momentul judecarii arestarii preventive, in doar 10 minute instanta a deliberat, a redactat minuta si 5 mandate de arestare, ceea ce e imposibil din punct de vedere al timpului fizic necesar. Acest lucru arata faptul ca instanta a deliberat doar de forma, decizia de arestare fiind luata dinainte. Procurorii au avut la dispozitie 1 an, iar avocatii doar 30 de minute.

12. Au fost arestati preventiv pe baza unor marturii si documente care nu se aflau la dosar la momentul judecarii, deci nu puteau fi combatute, lucru recunoscut si de procurori.

13. Desi cererile de eliberare provizorie au fost motivate si argumentate distinct, instanta a respins toate acestea cu o motivare identica, doar schimband numele celor arestati, ceea ce inseamna ca efectiv a fost copiat un model de respingere a eliberarii, pentru toti cei arestati.

14. Definitoriu pentru acest caz este faptul ca Dan Parcalab este arestat cu acuzatia de "spalare de bani", pentru primirea de catre redactia sa a unor pachete de carne, de Craciun, in valoare totala de 150 de euro, iar denuntatorul este un consilier local din Baia Mare, Mircea Dolha, despre care publicatia condusa de Dan Parcalab, "Gazeta de Maramures", a publicat o suita de inregistrari telefonice in care Dolha solicita mita de peste 15.000 de euro.

Cum este posibil ca toti cei carora ziaristii le-au descris pe larg ilegalitatile sa fie liberi si sa nu se ia nici o masura asupra lor, in timp ce ziaristii sunt inchisi?

Aceasta este doar o infima parte din abuzurile si ilegalitatile facute cu scopul de a suprima libertatea de exprimare a ziaristilor, prin arestarea lor.

De retinut este si faptul ca Dan Parcalab este primul ziarist roman care a castigat un proces la Curtea Europeana a Drepturilor Omului de la Strasbourg, dupa ce fusese condamnat de toate instantele din Romania, in 1999, parasit fiind in fata dreptatii inclusiv de colegii din presa.

Din data de 15 ianuarie 2007, Dan Parcalab se afla in greva foamei, in arest, pentru a protesta fata de abuzurile comise.

Dorim ca justitia sa-si faca datoria, sa demonstreze daca sunt vinovati sau nevinovati, dar consideram ca cercetarea lor in stare de arest este un abuz.

Cerem tratament egal: sa fie verificate si sanctionate si activitatile ilegale ale acelor politicieni si ale clientelei politice despre care s-au scris materialele de presa, nu sa fie cercetati doar ziaristii, iar ilegalitatile politicienilor si clientelei politice sa fie uitate de procurori.

Procurori, incetati presiunile, amenintarile si santajul asupra martorilor! Nu mai traim in dictatura!
Libertate ziaristilor romani !

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