Prosecutors, police initiated action to sanction illegal behaviour on online platforms in the context of the elections

Several searches were carried out on Saturday in cases regarding the sanctioning of illegal behaviors manifested in the online environment, consisting of inciting the public to commit crimes or inciting violence and hatred against people on the grounds that they are part of a certain category defined on the basis of ethnicity, sexual orientation or on the grounds of expressing political options in the context of the electoral process in Romania, Agerpres reports.

”Today, December 7, the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police launched a joint action aimed at sanctioning illegal behaviours manifested in the online environment, on various social media platforms, consisting of inciting the public to commit crimes or inciting violence and hatred against individuals on the grounds that they are part of a certain category defined on the basis of ethnicity, sexual orientation or on the grounds of expressing political options in the context of the electoral process in Romania,” a press release from the Prosecutor’s Office reads.

In this regard, nine home searches were being carried out in several localities.

The operative activities are carried out in seven criminal files in which investigations are carried out into crimes of threat, incitement to violence, hatred or discrimination, failure to comply with the weapons and ammunition regime, the act of a person to publicly promote the cult of persons guilty of committing crimes of genocide against humanity and war crimes, the act of publicly promoting fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic ideas, concepts or doctrines, provided for in art. 5 of GEO no. 31/2002.

According to the same source, the searches target illegal behaviours manifested on several online platforms that can be divided into two categories: messages that incite violence against a candidate in the presidential elections or against those who support a particular candidate and messages that promote fascist, legionary, racist or xenophobic concepts or doctrines, such as hatred and violence on ethnic, racial or religious grounds.

Among those targeted by the investigation would be the one who threatened members of the Roma for Democracy organization, according to some sources.