ROMANIA

Secret services admit tapping phones of two journalists

Reporters Without Borders has expressed concern after revelations of a
secret service decision to tap the phones of two Romanian journalists
working for foreign media and said to be suspected of "espionage".

The admission was made to the Mediafax news agency on 26 January by Radu
Timofte, Director of the Romanian intelligence service (SRI), but he refused
to reveal the identity of the journalists or for which media they worked.

The worldwide press freedom organisation said, "The protection of sources is
a principle that is intrinsic to press freedom, too essential for there to
be any exceptions. Romania must respect European law in this matter,
particularly Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"It should also show transparency over phone tapping and put an end to this
culture of secrecy that belongs to another age," it said in a letter to
Justice Minister, Monica Macovei.

The case has been made public just two days after the publication by
Bucharest daily Ziua, of a message from the head of intelligence at the
interior ministry, Virgil Ardelean, dated October 2003, that asked for an
"analysis of the opportunity to tap phones at Mediafax and AM Press".

The document was sent to the national anti-corruption prosecutor's office
(PNA). Ardelean explained that he needed to check reports about an inspector
who "revealed information about investigations to unauthorised people within
the two press agencies."

While acknowledging the authenticity of the document, the interior ministry
said in a 24 January statement that finally "neither the phones at Mediafax
or AM Press, nor those of any other press agency were tapped."

The statement provoked an outcry throughout the country. Press support
bodies such as the Media Monitoring Agency and parliamentarians rejected
Ardelean's explanations and called for an investigation. Interior Minister,
Vasile Blaga, said on 25 January that he would dismiss Ardelean if it turned
out he had broken the law.

SRI Director, Radu Timofte, said he had tapped the phones of two journalists
suspected of "espionage" without identifying them or their media. He spoke
only of "obscure magazines" and "foreign media". The journalists are accused
of "collaborating with foreign secret services".

The 'confidentiality of investigation' prevents any further information
being released so that little more is known about it. The SRI spokesman
simply said he had "definite information" against the journalists who were
"implicated in activities involving collecting information for foreign
espionage services and were paid for that."

It is the first time since its creation at the start of 1990, that the
Romanian intelligence services have publicly admitted tapping the phones of
journalists, even though the service, that succeeded the notorious
Securitate (Ceaucescu's political police) has often been accused of
surveillance of the media. A culture of secrecy appears to still be
prevalent today. Under the communist regime it was estimated that 700,000
out of the country's 22 million population had their phones tapped.