The International Press Institute (IPI) today condemns the online smears, harassment and death threats targeting IPI member and prominent Romanian investigative journalist Emilia Șercan following her reporting on alleged plagiarism in Justice Minister Radu Marinescu’s PhD thesis. IPI stands in full solidarity with Șercan and calls for a swift police investigation into all serious threats made against her safety.
On January 12, Șercan published an article for Romanian media outlet PressOne alleging that more than half of the PhD thesis of Romania’s Minister of Justice, Radu Marinescu, contained plagiarised content. Following the publication, Marinescu rejected the article’s findings and questioned the timing and motives behind the reporting.
The Minister’s statements were then echoed by politicians, media outlets, journalists, and online influencers. The ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) issued a public statement personally attacking Șercan, falsley claiming the investigation was a politically motivated attempt to remove the minister.
Șercan, a well known journalist, then reported receiving hundreds of messages involving intimidation, discreditation, and direct death threats on social media. In response to this wave of harassment, she announced that she would again take legal action against the television channel România TV, accusing its reporters of publicly harassing her in retaliation for her reporting.
Șercan has been repeatedly subjected to smear and discreditation campaigns, including a kompromat-style attack. In 2022, she faced similar targeting after exposing the allegedly plagiarised doctoral thesis of the then Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă .
IPI has consistently advocated for justice in Șercan’s case, raising concerns about Sercan’s professional and procedural rights being violated, including prosecutorial proceedings being handled erroneously and lacking objectivity.
IPI calls on the authorities in Romania to conduct a swift and impartial investigation into any serious threats made against Șercan’s safety, in what appears to be a coordinated campaign aimed at discrediting the journalist. We further urge the ruling Social Democratic Party and its leaders to refrain from personally attacking journalists and from inciting hateful rhetoric against members of the press.
IPI filed an alert on this case to the Mapping Media Freedom platform and will report the case to the Council of Europe’s Platform for the safety of journalists, which will seek confirmation from Romanian authorities about steps taken by law enforcement to address the threats.
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In 2025, IPI documented 33 press freedom violations to the Mapping Media Freedom (MMF) database, which affected 55 journalists and media entities, including 16 cases of serious verbal attacks and smear campaigns against the press.
This statement by IPI is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.
