April 25, 2017
Romania has six months available to set a timetable for solving penitentiary overcrowding, the European Court for Human Rights has today ruled
Newsroom, 25.04.2017, 14:51
ROMANIAN PENITENTIARIES — Detention conditions in Romanian penitentiaries do not observe the European Convention for Human Rights and point to the existence of a structural dysfunction. Therefore general measures should be adopted by the state, the European Court for Human Rights has today ruled. The European court has said Romania has six months available to come up with a precise timetable for the introduction of measures meant to solve overcrowding in penitentiaries and improper detention conditions. By this pilot decision, the European Court for Human Rights, ECHR, has fined Romania some 17,850 Euros, but it does not impose any such measure as pardoning or easing the criminal policy. The ECHR judges have also decided to suspend trying similar complaints filed against Romania, until the state comes up with a plan of measures. In another move, in Bucharest, the Judicial Committee of the Romanian Senate has started discussing amendments to the pardon bill, which is regarded as a solution to overcrowding in Romanian prisons. The senators on the committee should come up with a report on the bill within 15 days, and afterwards the document is submitted for debate in a plenary session.
LEGAL — The magistrates of the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Romania are today discussing a new term in the lawsuit in which the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, is accused of incitement to abuse of office. According to the anti-corruption prosecutors, Dragnea, in his capacity as president of the Teleorman County Council, at the time, intervened for maintaining two employees on their positions at the General Welfare and Child Protection Directorate in Teleorman County and for paying them their monthly wages, although they were actually working for the local branch of the Social Democratic Party. In another move, the suspended two-year sentence in the “Referendum” case is still in place. Yesterday, the High Court rejected Liviu Dragnea’s appeal to annul the sentence, the ruling being final.
TRANSPORTERS — Romanian transporters will stage protest movements in front of the Government headquarters on Wednesday and Thursday. They deplore the absence of clear legislation to sanction the unauthorized activity in the field. Transporters call for outlawing the online technological platforms which provide unauthorised taxi services, outlawing all online platforms which provide undeclared, unauthorised and non-fiscalised passenger transportation services and of all companies which carry out regular transportation activities along routes for which they haven’t tendered. The transporters say these legal measures are stipulated in the legislation of all European states which protect their licensed transporters.
MILITARY EXERCISES — Romanian-British joint naval drills are held in Constanta, southeastern Romania. Romania’s Frigate King Ferdinand and the British destroyer HMS Daring will carry out several training exercises at sea. At the end of the training sessions, the British destroyer will dock at the passenger pier of the Constanta Port, for two days. During this time span, the Commander of the destroyer is due to pay a visit to the Romanian Fleet Command Centre and to meet the local public authorities in Constanta. The Romanian and British marines will also carry out joint training sessions. As a first, two young officers of the Romanian Naval Forces will go on board the British destroyer for two weeks, to take part in the destroyer’s missions in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
