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Romania's Ministry of Justice has said that after Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu participated in intense debates in Strasbourg on the execution of judgements of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Committee of Ministers decided to postpone issuing a resolution critical of the Romanian penitentiary system, opting instead for a recommendation.
On Thursday in Strasbourg, Predoiu attended a Committee of Ministers' Human rights CM-DH meeting that discussed the supervision of the execution of ECHR judgements, a meeting chaired by the Panayiotis Beglitis, Greece's permanent representatives with the Council of Europe.
"After three hours of intense debate, following the position and arguments presented by the Romanian Ministry of Justice, the Committee of Ministers decided to postpone the issuance of a resolution critical of the Romanian penitentiary system and to opt for a recommendation instead. The Minister of Justice was assisted in the debates by ambassador Razvan Rusu, the permanent representative of Romania with the Council of Europe; the Romanian government agent for ECHR, Simona-Maya Teodoroiu, as well as a team of experts from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," the Justice Ministry said in a press statement
Predoiu had a meeting with ECHR President Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos and met officials of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights on Friday.
"It was a difficult debate with positive results for Romania. But we have to think, write and apply an urgent plan of integrated measures to solve the problem of penitentiary conditions and the security of citizens, and to stop Romania's condemnations by ECHR. I am happy to have the prime minister's support," said Predoiu.
Predoiu went for a discussion with ECHR officials after Romania's Chamber of Deputies adopted on Wednesday a bill repealing compensatory appeal, a measure by which thousands of detainees were released from prisons before their sentences were over because of poor detention conditions.
