The Systematic Efforts to Muzzle Emilia Șercan's Investigative Voice

Timeline of Events

Emilia Șercan, a Romanian investigative journalist, is known for her work on exposing corruption among high-ranking officials. But a disturbing saga of threats, harassment, and privacy violations that unfolded against her highlights the personal risks faced by journalists in the exercise of their profession and underscores the challenges to press freedom in a digital age where privacy violations can be weaponized.

This timeline charts the course of events from the creation of a profile featuring personal photos of Șercan on an adult content site to various legal actions and complaints she filed in response to threats and the unauthorized distribution of her private images shortly after Șercan published an article accusing the Romanian Prime Minister of plagiarism.

Șercan's experience serves as a case study on the intersection of gender, media, and power dynamics, illustrating the extent to which women in the media are subject to attacks aimed at undermining their credibility and silencing their voices. Through legal battles, public disclosures, and international support, Șercan's fight against these violations speaks to the resilience of journalists worldwide in upholding the principles of a free press.

2024

2023

March 8

In a landmark decision, a Bucharest court rules in favor of Şercan, stating that the Romanian Police Academy must allow her access to its archives. This ruling represents a significant win for the promotion of open access to information that is in the public interest.

December 18

Over 50 journalists join Şercan in Bucharest to protest against the recent decision to close the investigation into blackmail she was targeted with. For thirteen consecutive days, Şercan had stood alone in front of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal, holding one of her personal photos that had been repeatedly published as part of an organized action of intimidation against her.

December 1

Şercan starts a daily protest in front of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal. She is protesting against the court's decision to close the case regarding the threats and intimidation she faced while carrying out her journalistic duties.

November 3

Prosecutor Nicoleta Rotaru of the Bucharest Court of Appeal Prosecutor's Office abruptly terminates its investigation into the leaks and blackmail, arguing that offenses such as leakage of confidential police information and invasion of privacy are not crimes under Romanian law.

Extracts from ruling of prosecutor Marius Borta for the discontinuation of criminal proceedings in the case of the threatening offense

October 12

The 4th District Prosecutor’s Office drops the investigation into threats recieved by Şercan over email, on the grounds that further investigation “is not of public interest” – even though the ordinance states that the threat was explicitly related to her investigation into Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă.

September 9

Șercan lodges a criminal complaint against high-ranking police officials, including Benone Marian Matei and Bogdan Berechet of the Bucharest Police Headquarters, as well as Iulian Ionică and Relu Mușat of internal affairs. She accuses them of abuse of office, favoring the offender, obstructing justice, and failing to report, in relation to the mishandling of her initial complaint filed on February 18, 2022. Șercan alleges that their conduct was aimed at preventing the identification of those responsible for leaking secret or non-public information.

June 26

Șercan requests the prosecutor's office to intervene and halt the ongoing privacy violation stemming from her stolen photos being published on realitateadinmoldova.net on June 20, 2022.

2022

September 6

Șercan files a criminal complaint against Rizea Cristian for concealment, obstruction of justice, and perjury in relation to the statements made at the hearing by the rogatory commission in july of that year. The supplementary complaint was treated as a separate criminal complaint and was sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office.

July 28

Șercan files a criminal complaint on the offense of abuse of office and favoring the perpetrator against the Minister of Interior Lucian Bode for his involvement in blocking and covering up the investigation into the disclosure of secret or non-public information, which contributed to favoring the perpetrators who committed the crime.

July 25

Emilia Șercan publishes "How did the fugitive criminal Cristian Rizea save you, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă? And how did he bury me?" on PressOne.

July 20

Șercan, upon discovering the republication of her photos on realitateadinmoldova.net, files a supplementary criminal complaint accusing multiple parties of privacy violation, harassment, threat, and blackmail through the concerted republishing and redistribution of her stolen photos. She demands a provisional restoration to the state before these privacy invasions and cessation of their ongoing commission. The complaint targets Cristian Rizea, Realitatea-PHG SRL, Cosmin Sorin Păcuraru, COMPACTVIEW M.P. SRL, and Alexandra-Beatrice Bertalan-Păcuraru, implicating them in a premeditated action connected to both realitateadinmoldova.md and realitateadinmoldova.net.

July 13

Șercan publishes "The investigation the Romanian authorities refuse to do. The threads of the kompromat operation lead to the Realitatea Plus group" on PressOn.

July 12

Cristian Rizea is scheduled for a hearing by a rogatory commission in Moldova regarding Șercan’s case. Before his appearance, Rizea publicly claims on Facebook live that his actions of publishing photos were meant to protect Romania's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, suggesting he "saved" the Prime Minister while targeting Șercan for her attempts to discredit Ciucă.

July 7

Șercan lodges a criminal complaint for abuse of office against key police officials, including Adriana Răvaș, Bogdan Berechet, Gabriel Șchiopu, and Benone Marian Matei, criticizing the flawed investigation into her earlier complaints about privacy violations and theft of photos. She accuses them of mishandling the investigation with the possible intent of obstructing the identification and prosecution of the responsible parties.

June 20

Following an interview, Șercan's personal photos are republished on realitateadinmoldova.net and entities connected to the Realitatea Plus media group, associated with Alexandra-Beatrice Bertalan-Păcuraru and Cosmin Sorin Păcuraru, indicating a networked effort in disseminating the photos.

In response, Șercan files a criminal complaint concerning the violation of her privacy due to the republication of her photos, requesting their removal and the restoration of her privacy.

May 5

Șercan adds an expert report from Bitdefender to her case file, which reveals through metadata analysis that screenshots and photos published on patrianoastra.com were actually uploaded to the site on February 18, 2022, between 10:14 and 10:15. This upload occurred two hours after she notified Interior Minister Lucian Bode of the police evidence's disclosure, indicating potential manipulation or backdating of the website's content.

Șercan publishes on PressOne "Cover-up of the kompromat operation. Fabricated evidence two hours after a discussion with Interior Minister Lucian Bode".

May 12

Prosecutor Nicoleta Rotaru asks Șercan to hand over, of her own free will, phone and SIM card, with the related contact number, in order to carry out forensic research.

April 18

Superintendent Bogdan Berechet, Director of DGPMB, testifies as a witness, revealing that he forwarded the controversial screenshot to various high-ranking officials within the IGPR, responsible for Bucharest's security, including the heads of the U.T.A.I., Special Operations, Organised Crime, and Internal Protection. Despite this, Prosecutor Nicoleta Rotaru does not inquire about the names or positions of these individuals. Berechet's written statement, made on the same day Emilia Șercan lodged her complaint about the unauthorized disclosure of secret or non-public information, specifies he also sent the screenshot to Superintendent Benone Matei, the head of the Romanian Police, without indicating it had been shared with others.

April 11

Deputy Commissioner Adriana Răvaș is heard, in which she outlines the path taken by a screenshot within the police hierarchy, revealing that she forwarded it to her superiors, Chief Superintendent Gabriel Șchiopu and Superintendent Bogdan Berechet.

Prosecutor Nicoleta Rotaru requests screenshots of the Whatsapp conversation between Răvaș and her superiors following a request from Șercan.

April 8

Șercan, as the injured party, is heard 49 days following her complaint regarding the disclosure of secret or non-public information, despite regulations stating that such a hearing should occur immediately after a criminal complaint is registered, as it constitutes the initial step in criminal prosecution.

April 7

Prosecutor Nicoleta Rotaru requests surveillance images from police on February 17 2022.

April 4

Șercan publishes on PressOne the article "Emilia Șercan: "State authorities orchestrated a kompromat operation against me. Now they are trying to cover it up".

Her case is assigned to prosecutor Nicoleta Rotaru.

March 24

Șercan provides testimony at the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Tribunal (PTB) regarding her complaints of theft and privacy violation from February 17 and 19, 2022. The tribunal decides to propose the dismissal of part of case, specifically the portion concerning the privacy violation through the publication of Șercan's screenshot and photos on various websites on February 17, 2022. This segment is to be consolidated another case, which had already been forwarded to the Prosecutor's Court of Appealas it regards to allegations of disclosing secret or non-public information. This consolidation is based on the understanding that the privacy violation constitutes an offense occurring after the initial disclosure.

March 20

Șercan seeks to revert to the state before her privacy was breached and demands an end to the ongoing violation. Despite her efforts, the violation persists, with her five personal photos and a screenshot still available on realitateadinmoldova.md and indirectly through around 80 websites that have shared the article initially published on realitateadinmoldova.md on February 17, 2022.

March 18

The Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Tribunal (PTB) forwards case number 1177/P/2022, which involves allegations of disclosing secret or non-public information, to the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Court of Appeal (PCAB). This referral occurs following information from the General Police Directorate of Bucharest that Deputy Commissioner Adriana Răvaș, involved in the case, serves as a judicial police officer.

March 16

Bucharest Public Prosecutor's Office initiates criminal proceedings and requests data from internal affairs on Deputy Commissioner Adriana Ravas.

March 14

Internal Affairs transfers the responsibility of Șercan's case to the Bucharest Public Prosecutor's Office.

March 10

In response to Șercan's claims, the court transfers jurisdiction over the case to the Prosecutor's Office of the Bucharest Tribunal due to signs of "disclosure of secret service or non-public information."

Following Șercan's letter to five state officials accusing a kompromat operation involving the leakage of police information and an attempt to cover it up, along with presenting evidence of backdating on the patrianoastra.com website, the website is deactivated.

March 9

Șercan, facing a lack of communication from the authorities regarding her complaint about the disclosure of evidence and secret or non-public information by the police, escalates her concerns by writing a letter to key Romanian officials including President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, Interior Minister Lucian Bode, Attorney General Gabriela Scutea, and Romanian Police Chief Benone Matei. In her letter, she outlines her grievances regarding the leak of information by police officials and the subsequent attempts to cover up the leak through the publication and backdating of an article on patrianoastra.com, providing evidence of the site's backdating.

Șercan meets with Prosecutor General Gabriela Scutea, expressing her frustration over the refusal of the court to share the file registration number with her. She discovers from the Prosecutor General that her file was ultimately sent to a local police station for processing. However, the file was only being pursued for the violation of privacy related to the publication of her photos in the press, not addressing the issue of the illegal disclosure of police information, even though the privacy breach was a direct result of this disclosure.

March 7

The court refuses to relay Șercan the file number of the complaint registered at the internal affairs.

March 2

The court officially registers the criminal complaint filed by Șercan with internal affails about the disclosure by the police of secret or non-public data.

February 28

The Prosecutor's Office consolidates Șercan's criminal complaints regarding the theft and violation of privacy reported on February 17, 2022, and an additional complaint of privacy violation filed on February 19, 2022, into a single case file. Șercan subsequently submits a request to the court to provide evidence supporting her claim that the material published on patrianoastra.com on February 17, 2022, was antedated. Despite her efforts and multiple requests for updates on the file's status between February 21 and March 8, 2022, she receives no acknowledgment of her evidence submission nor any information regarding the progress of her case.

February 24

A forensic investigation reveals the alleged leaker P.M. did not receive the photos of Emilia Șercan from someone else and only shared them with Emilia Șercan.

February 22

Internal Affairs forwards Șercan's complaint regarding the unauthorized disclosure of secret or non-public information by police to the Prosecutor's Office via military mail. This action aligns with the procedures for handling petitions; however, Internal Affairs categorizes Șercan's submission not as a criminal complaint but rather as a referral, which is officially logged by the court shortly after receipt.

In its communication with the court, Internal Affairs mentions conducting an internal preliminary review to assess whether any police personnel were involved in the unauthorized sharing of information. The findings, documented in a report, suggest that the photos and screenshot in question were published online before they were submitted to a DGPMB officer, implying no misconduct by police staff warranting disciplinary action. Additionally, the report points out that realitateadinmoldova.md mirrored the content and title of an earlier article from patrianoastra.com, indicating the latter as the initial source of the leaked information. This analysis aims to demonstrate a timeline of events to clarify the sequence in which the leaked content was made public.

February 21

Șercan is told by the chief of the Romanian police Matei that the personal photos she reported as stolen were published on the patrianoastra.com website ahead of her submitting evidence to the police. However, Șercan and her editor, journalist Mona Dîrțu, discover evidence that the publication dates of the articles were manipulated to appear published earlier.

The Special Investigation Service (SIC - DGPBM) moves to escalate the issue by proposing a judicial authorization for a computer search of the mobile phone belonging to P.M., the individual allegedly connected to the distribution of the photos. The court approves this request, granting a search warrant for further investigation into the matter.

February 19

Șercan files an addendum to her criminal complaint from February 17, adding violation of privacy committed by distributing her personal photos through about 80 other websites, 62 of them part of the Realitatea Plus media group, including patrianoastra.com.

February 18

Published content on realitateadinmoldova.md includes a screenshot and intimate photos that Șercan provided to Deputy Commissioner Adriana Răvaș as part of a criminal complaint regarding a violation of her privacy a day earlier.

Șercan files a criminal complaint concerning the leak of sensitive information — on the advice of Interior Minister Lucian Bode and Superintendent Benone Matei, the head of the Romanian General Inspectorate of Police — urging the police to pinpoint the exact date and time the contentious photos were published, highlighting the fact that the screenshot shared with the press was the same one she had provided to the police as evidence of her privacy violation complaint.

The person accused of initially sending the intimate photos to Șercan, known only as P.M., is interviewed by police and has consented to the search of his personal phone, indicating an ongoing investigation into the matter.

February 17

Șercan files a criminal complaint for violation of privacy, leading to the initiation of criminal proceedings, on advice of Deputy Commissioner Adriana Răvaș. Included in the complaint are screenshots of the messages and the name of the facebook user. In a concerning development, the website realitateadinmoldova.md publishes an article titled "Explosive revelations from Romania. What Emilia Șercan is hiding," including the screenshot Șercan had sent to Răvaș and the intimate photos. The publication triggers widespread redistribution of the content across numerous websites, many affiliated with the Realitatea Plus media group, known for its connections to figures involved in political implications and corruption charges.

February 16

An unknown user named "Paraipan Acuză" sends Șercan a message on Facebook containing five intimate photos taken by her fiancé 20 years prior in her private home. Seeking assistance, she reaches out to Deputy Commissioner Adriana Răvaș to inquire if such privacy violations fall under their investigative jurisdiction, only to be told to discuss it further the next day. Later, she discovers that the same photos have been uploaded to 31 adult content sites under her name. To ensure she had evidence of this violation, Șercan takes screenshots.

January 20

Șercan files a criminal complaint with the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) of the Bucharest Police Headquarters (DGPMB) about the threatening message she has received. Deputy Commissioner Adriana Răvaș investigates the case.

January 19

Şercan receives a threatening email with the following content: "[...]If Gen.Ciuca plagiarized his doctoral thesis, he will certainly leave the position he currently holds, but if it is not true and this is proved (...) It means that your allegations are unfounded and are orchestrated to order. If the action is arranged to order, rest assured that we know how to make you talk, and you will say the name of the one who asked you to do this, no matter what structure he belongs to and no matter what position he holds and from that moment you will not have good days on earth...We will send your shadows to work in your house everywhere you move, and you will feel their presence everywhere, including in your intimacy, if you have made this statement at your command...Pray to God you are right...!"

January 18

Șercan publishes the article "PM Nicolae Ciucă plagiarized in his PhD thesis. Among the sources copied are two other doctoral theses" on PressOne

2021

September 19

A profile named "Emilia Şercan" is created on the adult content site xvideos.com, featuring six personal photos of Emilia Şercan.