Court-Ordered Psychiatric Assessment for Diana Șoșoacă
Romania's High Court of Cassation has ruled that a psychiatric evaluation must be conducted on Member of the European Parliament Diana Șoșoacă. This decision follows her summons by the General Prosecutor's Office in a case concerning the promotion of Legionary propaganda. Șoșoacă is under investigation for alleged offenses, including public statements containing elements of extremism, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial.
In September, Romania's General Prosecutor's Office requested the European Parliament to lift Șoșoacă's parliamentary immunity. This move came after sustained scrutiny of her public statements and actions, which have raised significant public concern. Earlier, in February, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile filed a complaint against her for promoting the cult of Nicolae Ceaușescu. In March, Ukraine's Security Service banned her from entering Ukraine for three years.
Legislative Initiatives and International Activity
Diana Șoșoacă also proposed a bill in March calling for the denunciation of Romania's neighborly treaty with Ukraine and the annexation of territories she considers historically Romanian. A planned 2023 address to the Romanian parliament by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was subsequently canceled.
On October 19, Șoșoacă spoke in Moscow at a meeting of the International Association 'Friends of Russia.' In her public remarks, she has made sharp criticisms, including a comment on the General Prosecutor's Office:
'They are sending me for a psychiatric examination, but this entire General Prosecutor's Office, full of traitors, uneducated and incompetent people who receive political orders, should not be examined but sent for psychiatric treatment in a hospital.'
The list of offenses in which Șoșoacă is implicated includes:
- Four counts of illegal deprivation of liberty;
- Four counts of publicly promoting the cult of persons convicted for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes;
- Publicly promoting fascist, Legionary, racist, or xenophobic ideas, concepts, or doctrines;
- Publicly promoting antisemitic ideas, concepts, or doctrines;
- Denying, contesting, approving, justifying, or diminishing the Holocaust.
Diana Șoșoacă remains a prominent and controversial figure, with her activities and statements generating substantial debate within Romania and internationally. Her case highlights broader tensions in European politics concerning historical memory and national identity. The ongoing investigation and her rhetoric underscore the complex political dynamics in Eastern Europe, particularly regarding Romania's relationship with Ukraine and its historical narratives.