Romanian journos back outlet behind graft protests

Dozens of Romanian journalists and several NGOs signed an open letter yesterday backing an under-pressure media outlet whose investigation sparked nationwide anti-corruption protests.

The Recorder outlet's two-hour documentary into corruption in the court system touched a nerve in the eastern European country, which ranks as one of the most graft-ridden in the EU, according to Transparency International's corruption perception index.

Thousands have taken to the streets in rolling protests over the past week, but senior judicial officials have hit back and accused the outlet of being part of a "campaign to destabilise the judiciary".

The open letter published yesterday condemned "repeated and aggressive attacks" on the work done by Recorder, especially coming from within the judiciary.