Romanian press groups slam politician privacy bill

Romanian media has often exposed the wealth of government officials and parliamentarians, many of whom are also part of the country's new business elite. Many live in luxurious new villas in Bucharest's leafy suburbs and drive expensive cars.

The Transparency International watchdog rates Romania as one of the most corrupt countries in the region and the European Union candidate has also criticized the candidate country for its human rights record and poor press freedoms.

“It's disheartening to see such an anti-European project surfacing from time to time because MPs don't like to have their wealth scrutinised,” Ioana Avadani, director of the Centre for Independent Journalism, said of the bill.

In a joint open letter, 11 press watchdogs, newspapers and radio stations, asked parliament to reject the bill branded as “a brutal breach of freedom of expression.”

Defenders of the bill which penalises reporters for publishing the wealth of public figures said it aimed to protect privacy and insisted it was in line with EU legislation.

“We are all, including MPs, equal before the law,” said the bill's author Ionel Olteanu of the ruling Social Democrat Party.

Under the bill, which was first submitted to parliament in April and then withdrawn after protests, public officials can sue for damages anyone photographing or filming their houses without permission.

Olteanu said he re-introduced the bill after “fine-tuning” it to both protect personal privacy and freedom of expression.

The EU has warned the Balkan country its 2007 entry goal was at risk unless it improves its human rights record and prosecutes those behind about 20 violent attacks on reporters investigating graft in the last 18 months.

Reuters, 27 September 2004
By Radu Marinas

© Reuters Foundation 2002.