Two alerts regarding Romania have been issued this year on Safety of Journalists Platform ,the Council of Europe (CoE) platform promoting the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists, which on Tuesday released its annual Europe press freedom report.

The two active alerts were filed on February 18, 2026: one signals a smear campaign, death threats and harassment against journalist Emilia Sercan, and the other concerns the situation of investigative journalist Brindusa Armanca and PressHub publication facing multiple defamation lawsuits over published reports.

According to the platform, a total of 15 cumulative alerts were issued for Romania in 2015-2026, of which three each in 2016, 2018 and 2025.

Smear campaign, death threats and harassment against journalist Emilia Sercan

On 12 January 2026, investigative journalist Emilia Sercan published an article on the PressOne news portal alleging that at least 56.68% of the 247-page doctoral thesis of the Minister of Justice, Radu Marinescu, contained text copied from other authors. In the aftermath, she faced intense smear, death threats and harassment., according to the alert published on the Council of Europe platform.

On social media, Minister Marinescu questioned the timing of the publication and the reasons for him being targeted, which was echoed by politicians, media outlets, journalists and online influencers, particularly those aligned with the Social Democratic Party (PSD). They accused Sercan of acting with political motives, suggesting that her investigation aimed to influence upcoming appointments in the justice system. PSD issued a public statement describing Sercan as an 'impostor,' and alleging that the investigation was an attempt to remove the Minister of Justice from office. The party reaffirmed its 'full political support' for Minister Marinescu and rejected what it called attempts to politically subordinate the justice system.

As the narrative spread across television channels, online media and social platforms, Sercan reported receiving hundreds of messages of intimidation, discreditation, and direct death threats on her social media accounts.

Investigative journalist Brindusa Armanca and PressHub face multiple defamation lawsuits

Since 2022, investigative journalist Brindusa Armanca, the news portal PressHub, and other media like Libertatea, Click, Ziarul de Iasi, Sursa de Vest have been facing multiple defamation lawsuits brought by Beniamin Lup, president of the WorldTeach Association Romania, an NGO registered as working against human trafficking. The lawsuits relate to a series of articles published by PressHub since 2022, authored or coordinated by Armanca, examining alleged inconsistencies between Lup's claims about the activities of WorldTeach and information obtained through journalistic research, including on the functioning of a centre for victims of human trafficking in the municipality of Fardea, and on the organisation's funding..

PressHub was established by Freedom House Romania as a collaborative platform for dozens of media outlets in Romania and abroad. The Association of Independent Journalists of Romania (AZIR), Romanian section of the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), has expressed concern that the accumulation of legal actions and the scale of damages sought may have a deterrent effect on investigative journalism and may qualify as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), also known as abusive lawsuits.

The European Union has passed legislation to protect people who speak out on matters of public interest from abusive legal action aimed at silencing them. In Romania, the directive is in the process of being transposed into national legislation. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Mariana Ionescu; EN - editing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)