Romanian MFA responds to Russia’s arrest warrant for Hotnews journalist

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) calls Russia’s arrest of Romanian journalist Mircea Barbu “a flagrant attack on press freedom”, noting that the authorities remain in solidarity with journalists who “face persecution”. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also reacted, in a post on Facebook, in which he condemns the decision of the Russian authorities.

The arrest warrant issued by a Russian court for  journalist @_mirceabarbu and other foreign journalists is a blatant attack on press freedom. Criminalizing independent media is an attempt to silence the truth. We stand in solidarity with all journalists facing persecution,” reads a MAE post on X social media platform.

The reaction of the Romanian authorities comes after a Russian court ordered, on Thursday, the arrest in absentia of the Romanian journalist Mircea Barbu, HotNews.ro correspondent, for illegally crossing the border.

Mircea Barbu made a report from Kursk, exclusively for the public in our country, about the incursion launched by the Ukrainian army in this region in August.

According to a news broadcast by the Russian Interfax news agency, the Leninski district court in the Kursk region announced in a statement that it ordered the arrest in absentia of a Romanian journalist on Thursday, October 24, for illegally crossing the border.

The Romanian journalist, already under international prosecution by the Russian authorities, was charged with illegally crossing the Russian state border, for which he is liable to a sentence of up to five years in prison in Russia. The preventive arrest measure will be applied following detention on Russian territory or extradition from a third country, the court also mentions in the release.

Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu also condemned the decision of the Russian authorities, in a Facebook post of the Romanian Government.

“I strongly condemn the flagrant attack on press freedom! The decision of the Russian court to issue an arrest warrant against the Romanian journalist Mircea Barbu is unacceptable, as it happened in the case of other foreign journalists. The condemnation of the independent press by the Russian Federation causes us to be more united and determined to defend freedom of expression and the right of the press to constantly seek the truth. We are with you, Mircea Barbu! As prime minister, I will not accept any Russian interference in the democratic process in Romania,” reads a Facebook post  of the Romanian PM.
The PNL president, Nicolae Ciuca also had a reaction on the subject on Facebook since Thursday evening, stating that the freedom of the press suffered a new blow. When I said that Romania is, after the Republic of Moldova, the next target of the Kremlin’s propaganda and hybrid war, I was referring to such cases. Today, press freedom suffers a new blow! The Romanian journalist Mircea Barbu was convicted by a Russian court, in absentia, for the courage to report the truth in Kursk. Such decisions are not only a threat to individual freedom, but also a cynical attempt to silence the voices that denounce abuses. As a Romanian, as president of the PNL and of the Romanian Senate, I join those who condemn this flagrant violation of human and media rights. We must defend the right to truth and freedom! We will not be silent!”, wrote the PNL president.
Mircea Barbu: “From now on it will be infinitely more complicated to travel and do my job”
Journalist Mircea Barbu reacted on Thursday evening, in a post on Facebook, to the announcement of the Russian authorities:
“It’s official! Today, a court in Russia convicted me in absentia for my Kursk reports. I don’t know exactly what the punishment is, only a few minutes ago I read the news on Interfax. All I know is that the Russians have now officially put me on their international wanted list, which means that from now on it will be infinitely more complicated to travel and, by implication, to do my job. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried. Or that it is easy to make such decisions. But, ironically, at the moment I read this news about my conviction, I was listening to Navalny’s book on the subway in headphones. The words of the dissident, written from the Russian gulag, echo in my mind: “The only moments in our lives that really matter are those when we do the right thing, when we don’t have to look down at the table, but can lift our heads and look each other in the eye. Nothing else matters, “ said in a post Mircea Barbu
“Far be it from me to compare myself or victimize myself. I knew exactly what I was doing and why I was doing this job from the first moment I crossed the border into Russia with the Ukrainian army. But at a moment like this, the thoughts of people who fought infinitely longer and braver for freedom are closer to my soul than any talk about visas, imaginary lines and stamps on the travel sheet,” he added.
At the same time, journalist Mircea Barbu challenged PSD and PNL leaders, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciuca, but also presidential candidate Mirce Geoana, to stand up for other values during Hotnews interviews.
General Nicolae Ciucă, the president of the PNL, went public on Facebook, calling for the support of press freedom. He vehemently condemned Russia’s decision to put me on an international manhunt simply for doing my job and broadcasting from Kursk with the Ukrainian army. Ciucă writes: “We must defend the right to truth and freedom! We will not be silent!”. But this public outing is ironic, especially coming from the same politician who avoids any dialogue about his own career and assumes the myth of the hero of Nassiriya, built on unconfirmed stories. The Recorder clearly revealed how Ciucă avoided the truth when questions were raised about the events in Iraq. It is curious how General Ciucă has the “courage” to condemn Russia’s abuses, but refuses to answer the accusations in the press and avoids any direct dialogue with Romanian journalists on this sensitive topic. I can’t help but wonder: when the freedom of the press becomes a personal subject, does the courage to defend the “truth” suddenly disappear? Why does candidate Nicolae Ciucă constantly decline the invitation to dialogue, including in the HotNews.ro podcast, preferring instead a well-polished PR statement on Facebook? Mr. General, if you don’t come to an interview at HotNews with colleague Laurentiu Ungureanu, a balanced and non-aggressive journalist, then which interviews suit you?“, said Mircea Barbu in an article published today.
As about Mircea Ciolacu, the journalist wrote:
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu reacted to the issue of the Russian mandate, through a post in which he condemns the “flagrant attack” on freedom of expression. It’s a firm, indisputable message, if it weren’t completely diverted by the reality it hides. That “I will not accept any interference from Russia” is colored in rhetoric when you know that PSD, the party that Ciolacu leads, has used public funds for years to buy its image and the silence of some televisions and publications. While the social democratic leader proclaims the right of journalists to relentlessly seek the truth, his party has allocated millions of euros to the press to smooth its public image. The investigations done by Cristi Andrei from the investigative site Snoop are clear – PSD paid 33 times more than other parties for “advertising” and laudatory articles, while the independent press fights for every resource.
Why have months passed since the repeated requests of the journalist Cristian Andrei without Marcel Ciolacu providing the public information of the money spent? He is the first PSD president who is so opaque. Marcel Ciolacu tells me that he is “with you, Mircea Barbu!” – but when will he be with my colleagues, who are trying to create a free press? When will he be with a press that does not depend on party budgets to survive?”.
“Finally, comes the message of Mircea Geoană, who is quickly positioning himself as a defender of press freedom. A well-versed politician and a really qualified diplomat, Geoana condemns Russia and vehemently supports freedom of expression. It is difficult to understand how, the other day, the same Geoană was busy discrediting fellow journalist Attila Biro de la Context, who published an investigation about his campaign chief’s business connections with a Russian propagandist. What a failed attempt to discredit from a politician to a journalist! Even Mircea Geoană doesn’t want to come to the HotNews podcast. Only he and Nicolae Ciucă refused a proper dialogue. Were you in NATO leadership and dreading a discussion with a publication known for its moderation?”, Mircea Barbu continued.
Previously, Geoana also released a support message for Barbu. I want to firmly condemn the attempt of intimidation initiated by the Russian Federation against the journalist Mircea Barbu, as well as the other foreign journalists targeted by the criminal files opened by the FSB. Freedom of expression is not only a right, but also a responsibility, and the courage of journalists to bring the truth to the public is priceless.”
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