Human rights in Romania

Human rights in Romania are generally respected by the government. However, there have been concerns regarding allegations of police brutality, mistreatment of the gypsy minority, government corruption, poor prison conditions, and compromised judicial independence. Romania was ranked 59th out of 167 countries in the 2015 Democracy Index and is described as a "flawed democracy", similar to other countries in Central or Eastern Europe.

Romanian Police has been demilitarized in 2002, and has been reorganized, in order to modernize it, and rid it of former abusive practices inherited from the communist era. However problems, such as police brutality, are reported to persist. According to the US Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, NGOs and the media reported that "police mistreated and abused prisoners, pretrial detainees, gypsies, and other citizens, primarily through use of excessive force including beatings". Amnesty International stated that during the 2012 anti-government protests, police has used excessive force against demonstrators.

The government has been accused at times of restricting freedom of the press. Journalists who wrote reports critical of government policies and actions have claimed they were targets for harassment and intimidation during the Romanian presidential election, 2004. Romania was ranked 52nd out of 178 countries in Reporters Without Borders' 2010 Press Freedom Index; another report by Freedom House describes the Romanian press as "partly free".

There has been a growing awareness of human trafficking as a human rights issue in Europe (see main article: Human trafficking in Romania). The end of communism has contributed to an increase in human trafficking, with the majority of victims being women forced into prostitution. Romania is a country of origin and country of transit for persons, primarily women and children, trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The Romanian government has shown some commitment to combat trafficking but has been criticized for failing to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

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