The Center for Legal Resources (CRJ), a human rights non-governmental organization which has been drawing attention since last year to the problems in the centers for the elderly in Voluntary, which are currently being investigated by DIICOT, is asking in an open letter to the Prime Minister Marcel Čolaka to release Minister of Labor Marius Budai, whom he considers “morally responsible for perpetuating abuses in these centers.”

The CRJ claims that Labor Minister Marius Budai knew about all the horrors in the centers in Ilfov, “but instead of fighting the human rights violations, he took care to restrict the activities of the CRJ”, trying to hide all reports of violations.

The CRJ also listed the reasons why it is demanding Budai’s release, including ignoring some appeals formulated by the NGO to report violations in the horror shelters, denouncing the agreement with the organization that allowed him to make unannounced visits precisely to prevent such cases, and the statement of the Minister of Labor on national conference in Bucharest, where DGASPC directors allegedly announced that “we have done away with CRJ visits,” the open letter said

CRJ accuses the head of the Ministry of Labor that he “not only took note of the monitoring reports and messages sent by CRJ, but also tried to stop this activity in the future.”

• Exposure of NGO that has been reporting abuse at Voluntary nursing homes since 2022: “After we filed complaints, the Ministry of Labor told us we were no longer needed”

“Where do you want to go?”

​PSD Labor Minister Marius Budai appeared irritated on Friday in his first public appearance on the Voluntari nursing home scandal after HotNews.ro told him that the deal with the NGO that reported the horrors was not ended just as claimed. , but was unilaterally denounced by the Ministry of Labor. Budai accused that the NGO presented the reports to the press before sending them to the ministry, but did not know what measures the institution headed by him had taken.

Prime Minister Marcel Čolaku announced on Sunday that all social centers would be inspected and their powers re-examined.

This was announced after a meeting with ministers on the subject of horror shelters. “I have no mercy for the scoundrels who created these havens of horror. We have a fundamental problem: a corrupt and inert system,” the head of government said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Marcel Čolaku demanded the dismissal of the leadership of the National Agency for Protection and Social Inspection, as well as the district leadership of this body. The head of the government also asked for dismissal in DGASPC Ilfov and sector 3, as well as in the National Directorate for the Protection of the Rights of People with Disabilities.

CRJ’s open letter demanding the release of Maryus Budai

An open letter to Mr. Marcel Colacu, Prime Minister of the Government of Romania

Dear Prime Minister!

The Center for Legal Resources (CRJ), a non-governmental human rights organization founded in 1998 by the Open Society Foundations (Soros), has been running the Dignity Advocacy program since October 2003. For almost 20 years, CRJ has been the only organization in Romania that has invited and organized unannounced visits to tens of thousands of people with disabilities, minors, adults and the elderly locked up in residential homes and psychiatric hospitals. The activities of the CRJ were also recognized by the decision of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (“CRJ in the name of Valentin Campeanu v. Romania”), but especially by the testimony of people with disabilities, “released” from the social protection system in which they were humiliated, beaten, trafficked and deprived of liberty.

Because we appreciate your humane way of solving the serious problem of human rights violations in private but public centers in Ilfov County, taking into account the provisions of Law No. 115 of 1999 and MMPS Order No. To the Minister of Labor, Marius Kostyantyn Budai, morally responsible for perpetuating abuses in these centers.

Below we reiterate some of the reasons behind our request and which show that the Minister was aware of all these facts, but instead of dealing with human rights violations, he took care to curtail CRJ’s activities in order to hide these violations :

• Mr. Minister of Labor and Social Protection Marius Kostyantyn Budai was informed by the CRJ about serious facts in the centers in the Ilfov district through the addresses of the CRJ no. 147 /07.11.2022, 65/23.02.2023, 23/26.01.2023, 33/01.02.2023;
• Address No. 581/DGJ/31.03.2023 signed by Mr. Buday, by which he informs CRJ that he is unilaterally denouncing the cooperation agreement regarding unannounced visits to residential centers – the reason stated by the Minister in point 3 is that “CRJ did not blur the image of some beneficiaries.” The images referred to by the Minister were included in a video uploaded to the content of the report on the St Gabriel the Brave Association Center which was intended for him to observe disabled people being “treated” by a social service provider who has a license from the ministry he heads;
• Minister Budai and State Secretary Mr. Vasilcoiu announced at a national conference organized in Bucharest with DGASPC directors that “we got rid of CRJ visits”. Therefore, management at the highest level of the Ministry of Labor not only took note of the monitoring reports and notices sent by CRJ, but also tried to stop this activity in the future, most likely with the aim of hiding and preventing the investigation of conditions. which lead to violation of human rights. Therefore, taking into account today’s activities of the criminal investigation bodies, we wonder whether the fact of abuse of official position by two high-ranking officials should also be investigated.
• Evidence that the public welfare system was linked to the management of private social service providers in Ilfov county is provided by transcripts that were circulated on the Internet of workers trying to intimidate and cancel the CRJ, which was obstructing them. Since the transcripts have been out in the open for some time, in case you haven’t seen them, we are adding them for your correct information.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister Marcel Čolaku, before you is the first moral author of these abuses: the leadership of the Ministry of Labor, Mr. Buday tried to hide these facts, in particular by terminating the activities of the CRJ, so that he would no longer be bothered by the reports to which he would have to answer.

Mr. Prime Minister, if the Minister of Labor in your cabinet had done his duty, the people you couldn’t turn a blind eye to out of compassion might have a chance of not being subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment for a few years. months

The dismissal of some persons from the leadership structure of the Ministry of Labor does not dismiss the main leadership of the Ministry of Labor, namely Mr. Buday. Instead of saving the lives of the beneficiaries, he decided to contact an NGO – CRJ, in this case for some reasons which we hope you will find out.

CRJ demands the dismissal of the leadership of the Ministry of Labor and assurances that the incoming Minister of Labor is a person of integrity and will restore the cooperation agreement with CRJ, urgently adopt new legal procedures for the licensing of private social service providers and assurance that ALL people with disabilities and all people elderly are treated with dignity in society and have access to appropriate means of petitioning and protection of fundamental rights.

Best regards

Georgiana Pascu

Manager of the “Request for Dignity” program.

Center for legal resources

Transcripts from public space

SG: My question to you was different… would you agree to be the head of our center for a month? Stop laughing until I get my rights?

PG: Why?

SG: Because he asked me for the decision of the head of the center, so that for the final license it is the only thing that I do not have!

PG: Considering CRJ no longer exists, I felt like fighting them! (nl laughs)

SG: (Turns to a person close to him: Did you hear what he said? In conditions where there is no CRJ, he agrees!)

PG: Otherwise I would have fought them!

S.G.: (Turns to a person close to him: So make him head of the center, you too are catching up, and we send him to sign and send to us!)

PG: For a fee, right?

SG: Come on, I understand you’re sick, but no…

PG: Yes, but ideas come from illness!

SG: You started to rave, rave, didn’t you?

PG: Yes, yes…

SG: Come on, let it go, it’s no problem, you know I never stay in debt!

PG: Yes…

…………………………………………………….

PG: They had nothing to comment on, did the economist give you feedback?

SG: No, he is not leaving the party yet…

PG: Does the party not give you feedback?

SG: Yes!

PG: OK, has your economy found anything?

SG: No…

PG: Well done then!

SG: Yeah, that’s what I said too! Can’t we cancel this CRJ (employee note: Legal Resource Center NGO)?

PG: We have no way…

SG: Why?

PG: It’s a longer story, I’ll tell you when we have coffee!

SG: I would cancel it because it’s bullshit!

PG: Well, I know, but it’s none of our business, court, court, boss!

SG: This is a matter for the court, right? They are not licensed anywhere, they are not…

PG: No!

SG: I understand, but what right do they have then?

PG: They have that contract with them!

SG: Well, this contract must be valid!

PG: It’s an idiot, so I’m telling you, I’ll tell you when we meet!

S.G.: Well, yes, it is necessary to evict, the one who has…

PG: In a word. Come on, I’m with these guys, I’ll call you when I’m done, please, okay?

SG: He has a good setup…

PG: Yeah, yeah…okay, send me the bill too so I can see how much it costs, that’s what you’ve done!”

Transcript source: Judged Now Podcast