In contextul vizitei pe care Vicepresedintele american Joe Biden o va efectua in Romania, un grup larg de organizatii si lideri romani din Statele Unite i-au adresat o scrisoare prin care ii solicita sa abordeze cu oficialii romani lupta impotriva coruptiei si sustinerea statului de drept, si sa puna presiune pe acestia sa isi respecte promisiunile pe care le-au facut ca vor sprijini o justitie independenta si ca politicienii vor fi tratati egal in fata legii.
Cei care doresc sa sustina aceasta scrisoare pot sa o cosemneze la adresa: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/stopcorruptioninro
Asociatiile, organizatiile sau grupurile largi care doresc sa se alature acestui demers sunt rugate sa scrie la adresa coalitiaromanilor@gmail.com.
Apreciem daca ne ajutati cu distribuirea acestei scrisoari prin toate canele de comunicare: mass-media, Facebook, Twitter, email, etc.
Multumim!
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19 May 2014
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Vice President
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Vice President Biden,
On the eve of your visit to Romania, we ask on behalf of a large group of Romanians in the U.S and across the globe that you raise the fight against corruption and strengthening the rule of law with the Romanian officials. We also ask that you press them to respect the commitments they have made to support an independent judiciary in Romania and that politicians be treated equally before the law.
Your visit is timely, coming in the context of the Ukrainian crisis that deeply concerns all of us.
As Romania plays a key role in the region, its leaders and politicians of all parties in Romania must understand that an independent judiciary system, an unbending rule of law and strong institutions fighting corruption are crucial to Romania’s stability and in securing a better future for its people. No country is able to ensure security and prosperity for its people if it is led by corrupt politicians.
We want our family members who are in Romania to have the same opportunities as us in United States, where we were able to pursue our dreams because this society provides equal opportunities for everyone. For that to happen in Romania, the law must be applied equally for everybody, whether average citizens or politicians.
Since December 2013, when the political coalition in power at that time tried to change the penal code to make it harder to prosecute corrupt politicians, multiple attempts to waive the immunity of different members of the Romanian Parliament have failed. There is a majority in Parliament that believes politicians are above the law and votes accordingly at every opportunity.
Such behavior is unacceptable in a democracy. These politicians betray the interest of the Romanian people and they put the country’s future at risk.
Please reiterate to all Romanian officials the need to follow through with their commitments to respect the rule of law, support an independent judiciary system and to continue the fight against corruption. On this note, the Parliament must waive the immunity of any politician who is charged for breaking the law.
It is also critical that the U.S. administration reiterates the support for independent media in Romania. The few voices in Romania that publicly support the fight against corruption and the rule of law are silenced by media outlets controlled by oligarchs, who virtually control all the mainstream media and the information flow in Romania.
Please take this opportunity to send a message of appreciation and encouragement to all the judges, prosecutors and police officers who are tough on corruption, as well as to those few of the Romanian civil society and media who expose corruption cases. They make a huge difference in the fight against corruption, and without them the corrupt politicians would be unstoppable.
On a different note, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the U.S. Administration for installing the anti-missile shield in Romania and for increasing the U.S. military presence in the region, which is providing better security for Europe as well as Romania.
Please convey our message of encouragement and respect to the American and Romanian troops you will be meeting. We often meet here with American soldiers who fought alongside Romanian troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and we are proud to hear about the dedication, professionalism and many courageous acts of the Romanian soldiers.
Thank you Mr. Vice President for visiting Romania and we express our support for everything successive American administrations, including the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, did over the years to strengthen the rule of law and democracy in Romania.
Respectfully,
ROMANIAN-AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS
Chris Terhes, President, Romanian Community Coalition
President, Romanian Greek-Catholic Association
Ady Simion - Vice-preseident, Romanian Community Coalition
President, "Romani in Los Angeles"
Vasile Bouleanu - Spokesperson - Illinois Romanian-American Community
Marian Petruta - President, North American Romanian Press Association (NARPA)
Simona Botezan – "Miorita USA" Cultural Association, Sacramento, California
Simona Bonica - Romanian-American Network Inc. (NFP-NGO), Niles, IL
ROMANIAN-AMERICANS NEWSPAPERS:
Dwight Luchian - Patton – Director Clipa Magazine, Anaheim, California
Vera Luchian - Patton – Editor Clipa Magazine
Viorel Nicula – Director “Miorita” USA Newspaper, Sacramento, California
Steven Bonica - Editor-in-chief, Romanian Tribune Newspaper, Chicago, IL
Ioan Ciorba - Director, Romanian Times Newspaper, Portland, OR
PROFESSORS, ATTORNEYS, DOCTORS
Prof. Univ. Muscutariu, Ioan - Cleveland, Ohio
Prof. Dr. Nicholas Dima – Arizona
Dr. Cristina Barba - Tustin, California
Nick Kazan - Ohio
CHURCH LEADERS
Fr. Calin Tamiian – "St. John the Evanghelist" Greek-Catholic Church, Oxnard, California
Fr. Vasile Gorzo - "St. Mary" Greek-Catholic Church, Los Angeles
Fr. Dr. Petru Stinea – Greek-Catholic community, Cleveland, Ohio
Fr. Radu Titotean – Greek-Catholic community, New York
Fr. Gabriel Didita – Newburgh, Indiana
Fr. Michael Kirila - Mesa, Arizona
Scrisoarea este deschisa pentru semnaturi electronice la adresa: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/stopcorruptioninro