Extend the Protective Umbrella to the Romanian Press as Well – An Appeal from the Press Club to President Donald Trump
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Dear President Donald Trump,
The Press Club highly appreciates the political actions undertaken by the administration you are leading, and especially your firm commitment to defending democratic rights and, above all, the freedom of the press. This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced your administration’s firm intention to sanction officials from countries that engage in censorship against American journalists. We welcome this decision, but we respectfully request that this protective measure be extended to include journalists from partner states as well—and we refer in particular to journalists from Romania. In Romania, not only have a range of democratic rights related to the electoral process been suppressed, most notably through the abusive cancellation of two rounds of presidential elections, but also, and even more gravely, the right to freedom of expression has been targeted. Several television channels and radio stations have been taken off the air, posts by respected journalists have been removed from social media, and the National Audiovisual Council (CNA) has issued huge fines to editorial offices and journalists—exclusively when they supported policies promoted by you and your team, particularly during the U.S. election and after your victory.
