Judges and prosecutors suspend activity as protest against service pension reform

Judges across the country have decided to suspend activity starting Wednesday, with certain exceptions, demanding the urgent withdrawal of the draft law concerning the reform of service pensions for magistrates.

Prosecutors are also joining this action, having announced that they will suspend their activity, with some exceptions relating to preventive custodial measures or the issuance of protection orders, agerpres reports.

All 16 Courts of Appeal in the country have, following general assemblies of judges held on Tuesday, requested the urgent withdrawal of the draft law on the reform of magistrates' service pensions, the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) announced.

According to the CSM, the judges' assemblies 'have requested the other two branches of government to urgently withdraw the draft law regarding the reform of service pensions for magistrates and to cease the aggressive campaign against judicial authority, which seriously undermines the rule of law, as well as the rights and freedoms of citizens, which can only be effectively guaranteed by an independent judiciary.'

In this context, it was decided that, starting Wednesday, judicial activity will be carried out in accordance with the decisions of the judges' general assemblies, in order to sound the alarm regarding the serious risk of destabilising the judicial system posed by the mentioned legislative initiative.

Several courts and prosecution offices across the country have publicly announced, through press releases, that they will suspend their activity with some exceptions. These include the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the Oradea Court of Appeal, the Iasi Court of Appeal, the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal, the Targu Mures Court of Appeal, the Satu Mare Tribunal, the Valcea Tribunal, the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal, the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Brasov Tribunal, and the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Valcea Tribunal.

The protest will be maintained for an indefinite period, until the legislative proposal is withdrawn by its initiators.