FLASH
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Thousands of citizens took to the streets and filled Bucharest and other cities in Romania to protest against corruption in the judicial system, demanding deep reforms and accountability from state institutions.
Waves of protests began on Wednesday, following the publication of an investigation by the investigative platform Recorder, which brought to light shocking testimonies of judges and prosecutors about pressure exerted by senior officials.
The investigation has attracted widespread public attention, surpassing 3.5 million views on YouTube. During Friday's protest, demonstrators demanded the resignation of the justice minister, the president of the Supreme Court and several other senior officials.
With banners and slogans such as "Justice, not corruption," "Thieves," and "We see you," protesters expressed their dissatisfaction with what they describe as a system captured and manipulated from within.
"Civil society does not accept a system that is fundamentally corrupt and designed to be manipulated from within ," Vlad Voinea, 40, who attended the rally with his daughter, told AFP.
Meanwhile, Michnea Mihai, 31, who held a banner reading "Respect for honest judges," said he had marched to support judges who denounced the interference and to encourage others to follow their example.
There has been no shortage of reaction from within the judicial system either. Hundreds of judges have signed an open letter denouncing "systemic dysfunctions" and expressing solidarity with colleagues who, according to them, had the courage to expose internal pressures and problems.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan called for dialogue with judges on December 22, stressing in a Facebook post that when hundreds of judges express serious concerns about the “integrity” of the judicial system, “the situation is very serious.”
According to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, Romania ranks among the most corrupt countries in the European Union, a fact that has given even more weight to the protests of recent days.
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