A reform-minded Romanian judge has been suspended from the judiciary over videos he posted on the social-media platform TikTok, a move that sparked widespread criticism and a sharp reaction from the U.S. Embassy on December 14.
Cristi Danilet, a judge in the northwestern city of Cluj, was suspended on December 13 by Romania's Superior Council of Magistrates (CSM), a body tasked with ensuring the independence of the judiciary, over two videos he posted on TikTok last year.
In one of the videos, Danilet, a martial arts practitioner, performs a martial arts exercise, while in the second he is cutting a garden hedge.
A CSM commission ruled that the videos amounted to “behavior that affects the image of the justice system.”
The decision can be appealed.
Danilet, who has a sizable social-media following, has for years been critical of Romania's corruption-ridden judiciary and promoted reforms.
Observers say Danilet's suspension amounts to a warning aimed at reform-minded judges who intend to run for a position on the CSM next year.
The U.S. Embassy in Bucharest said it was “deeply concerned" about Danilet's suspension.
“An independent justice that respects the rule of law is essential for any prosperous democracy,” the statement said, adding that President Joe Biden recently said at the Summit for Democracy that “democracy does not happen by accident.”
Deeply concerned by Judge #Danilet’s expulsion from the 🇷🇴Romanian magistracy. An independent judiciary is essential for any democracy. We will continue to work in partnership with the Romanian government to promote the values that unite us through the #SummitforDemocracy. pic.twitter.com/IGJD41FooF
— US Embassy Bucharest (@AmbasadaSUA) December 14, 2021
Romania, one of the poorest and most corrupt EU member states, saw massive protests in 2017 and 2018 against controversial judicial reforms pushed forward by the then-government led by the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD).
That government was toppled in a no-confidence vote in 2019 but is currently back in power in a coalition with the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL).