2025 Romanian anti-judicial corruption protests

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2025 Romanian protests for judicial independence
2025 Romanian protests for the independence of judicial system (14 December 2025).png
Protesters for the independence of judicial system on 14 December 2025 going to Victoria Square in Bucharest
DateDecember 10, 2025 (2025-12-10)
Location
Caused by
  • The documentary Recorder that draws attention to corruption and deficiency at the top of the justice system
  • Statute of limitations on major corruption cases
Goals
Methods
StatusOngoing
Parties
  • Anti-corruption organizations
  • Protesters
  • Magistrates
Number
Tens of thousands

2025 Romanian protests for judicial independence are a series ongoing protests that had begun in Romania as a result of an journalistic documentary released by Recorder that draws attention to corruption and deficiency at the top of the justice system of Romania.

Contents

Background

In December 2025, after the release of journalistic investigation Captured Justice (Romanian : Justiție Capturată) by journalistic publication Recorder that present degradation of judiciary system of Romania, [1] several spontaneous protests that took place after the publication of the documentary gained momentum.

Events

On December 10, in Bucharest, several hundred people demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the Superior Council of Magistracy, demanding the resignation of Lia Savonea. [2] On Thursday, the second day of protests, approximately 1,000 people gathered in Victoria Square, a place known for spontaneous anti-government protests. [3] [4] Spontaneous demonstrations also took place in Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara. On Friday, December 12, approximately 4,500 protesters gathered to express their discontent in Victoria Square. [5] [6] On Saturday, December 13, the number of demonstrators jumped to almost 8,000 in Bucharest, [7] but protests also took place in Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iași, Brașov, Sibiu, Constanța, Timișoara, Ploiești, Galați, Oradea, and Satu Mare across the country.

On the evening of Sunday, December 14, a new large-scale demonstration took place in Bucharest and in major cities across the country. In the capital, protesters gathered in University Square from where they marched to Victory Square. According to media estimates, between 10,000 and 12,000 participants took part in the action, [8] most of them young people and students. In Cluj-Napoca, over 3,000 demonstrators marched through the city streets; other protests also took place in Timisoara, Iași, Craiova, Constanța, Buzău, Satu Mare, as well as in the Diaspora.

See also

References

  1. Recorder (9 December 2025), DOCUMENTAR RECORDER. Justiție capturată , retrieved 14 December 2025
  2. "Sute de oameni au protestat miercuri în fața sediului CSM și au cerut demisia Liei Savonea, președinta CSM". europalibera.ro (in Romanian). 11 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  3. "„Justiție, nu corupție". Proteste în București, Cluj și Iași: manifestanții au cerut demiteri la vârful Justiției și reforme imediate". digi24.ro (in Romanian). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  4. "„Ro-Alert, mă sună Lia" / Numele magistraților care s-au solidarizat cu colegii lor din documentarul Recorder, citite în Piața Victoriei, unde au protestat peste o mie de oameni". hotnews.ro (in Romanian). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  5. "A treia zi de proteste la București pentru reformă în Justiție". libertatea.ro (in Romanian). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  6. "VIDEO | Peste 5.000 de oameni în Piața Victoriei, în a treia zi de proteste pentru independența justiției". buletin.de (in Romanian). 12 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  7. "Justiție Capturată: Mai multe asociații civice au anunțat ora noului miting de duminică". hotnews.ro (in Romanian). 13 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  8. "A cincea seară de manifestații în România: "Ne dorim foarte mult să-i susținem pe magistrații onești". Aproximativ opt mii de oameni, la protestul și marșul pentru justiție din Capitală". tvrinfo.ro (in Romanian). 14 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.