SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
URGENT APPEAL FOR ROMANIAN DEMOCRACY AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,
President of the United States of America
Mr. President,
I am writing to you in my personal capacity—as a Romanian-American, an Orthodox Christian, a Romanian attorney, and a human rights advocate who deeply believes in freedom, justice, and the fundamental right of every people to determine their own future.
I also serve as Second Vice President of the Pinellas Federated Republican Women in Pinellas County, Florida; however, I want to make clear that I am writing this letter solely in my individual capacity and not on behalf of the organization. Together with the vast majority of Romanian-Americans who support MAGA, I fought for you to become President. Today, I am writing because the country where I was born needs its voice to be heard. Can you fight for us, as we fought—and continue to fight—for you?
As an attorney by profession in Romania, I understand very well what is happening from a legal perspective. I remain in close contact with Romanian attorneys, patriots, and concerned citizens both in Romania and here in the United States. I also know many Romanian-American Republicans who supported you. Today, we ask you for one thing:
ROMANIA’S DEMOCRACY AT A BREAKING POINT
We, the Romanian People!
Today, I believe that if any democracy remained in Romania, it has been pushed to the breaking point. In my view, the same corrupt system that cancelled the presidential election process in December 2024 has once again demonstrated that genuine democracy is being denied in Romania — a NATO member and a strategic partner of the United States of America. 1You, too, have faced a system that was used against you, and I believe similar mechanisms are gradually appearing in different countries.
As you know, Mr. Călin Georgescu won the first round of Romania’s 2024 presidential election and qualified for the runoff before the Constitutional Court annulled the entire electoral process. After Călin Georgescu was prohibited from running as a candidate and became the subject of numerous criminal cases that I believe were politically manufactured, yet another case has now resulted in his arrest. The case for which Călin Georgescu is now being held in pretrial detention for 30 days is, in my opinion, political in nature.
The circumstances surrounding it deserve urgent public and international attention. At the Bucharest Tribunal, after Călin Georgescu had been detained for 24 hours, the judge handling the case ordered his release, explaining in the decision that there was insufficient evidence to justify his pretrial detention.
The Prosecutor’s Office appealed that decision. On September 29, 2026, at the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the judges called upon to decide the matter could not initially reach agreement. A divergence panel was therefore constituted. Was the system prepared for this possibility by bringing in a new judge who would reach the decision it wanted? That is the question that must be asked.
The judge brought into that divergence procedure was the same judge who had previously authorized the search of the home of well-known patriotic attorney Mihai Rapcea — a search in which, among other things, books by Romanian authors such as Mihai Eminescu and religious icons depicting Saint Ilie Lăcătușu were cited.
To me, this evokes the darkest periods of Romania’s history — an inquisition under a different name, with different actors playing different roles. Călin Georgescu is not a dangerous criminal. The case underlying these accusations concerns an alleged fraud said to have occurred many years ago. He had been under judicial control for months and, in my view, did not pose a danger to the community. There was no immediate emergency requiring his arrest, nor, to my knowledge, evidence that he intended to flee prosecution. Moreover, on September 15, 2026, Romanian farmers and shepherds protested in Victory Square in Bucharest.
The protest ended with the arrest of approximately 30 shepherds and other protesters. They are currently being held at the Central Detention Center in the capital, where Călin Georgescu is also being detained. To imprison a winner of a presidential election for an alleged act, without sufficient evidence, merely to silence him would not only be a cowardly act; in my view, it would be powerful evidence of a system that has become desperate and believes that no one will intervene.
Today, approximately 2,000 people went to the Central Detention Center to protest, and more were reportedly on their way. 2But the Romanian people are increasingly afraid to exercise their constitutional rights. Even when they seek to protest peacefully, there is a widespread fear that provocateurs may be infiltrated into demonstrations, creating incidents that ultimately lead to arrests. Accounts of such cases have contributed to an atmosphere in which ordinary people are increasingly afraid to stand up publicly for their rights. As I write these words, even an unusual technical problem with my computer has made me reflect on something far more troubling: Should I, too, be afraid to speak out—even as an American citizen exercising my fundamental right to express my concerns? I sincerely hope the answer is no. Fear should never become the price of speaking freely in a democracy. In his most recent public address, Călin Georgescu spoke directly to the Romanian people, leaving them with a simple but powerful message: “Do not let fear stain your souls.” His words bring to mind a timeless teaching of Scripture: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7 A free people cannot surrender their conscience to fear. When fear becomes the instrument that keeps citizens silent, defending the freedom to speak becomes not only a democratic responsibility, but a moral one. You taught Americans to “Fight, Fight, Fight.”
Many Romanians are trying to find that same courage—to stand for their rights, their voices, and their future. But the man many of them looked to for leadership in that fight is now being silenced. Mr. President, I respectfully ask: can you help ensure that their voices are heard?
A CLIMATE OF FEAR IN ROMANIA
In my view, the Romanian people are being terrorized by their own Government. Many citizens no longer feel free to express their opinions, even online, because they fear possible consequences, including arrest. Romanians have even reported being prohibited from entering church while carrying the Romanian flag. At the same time, much of the press, in my opinion, has failed in its duty to inform the public fairly and has instead contributed to disinformation and distrust.
QUESTION OF DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES
Mr. President, A partnership founded on democratic values must defend those values regardless of which candidate, party, or political orientation may benefit from them. Democracy requires respect for the citizen’s vote even when that vote produces a result the political establishment did not expect. The vote does not belong to governments or political parties. The vote belongs to the citizen. At the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2025, Vice President JD Vance spoke directly about Romania and warned: “You cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail.” He later reminded Europe of a principle that goes to the heart of this matter: “Democracy rests on the sacred principle that the voice of the people matters.”
President Ronald Reagan warned that “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” He also reminded Americans that the first line of defense of freedom is “our right to decide who governs us.” President Abraham Lincoln gave the democratic ideal its most enduring expression: government “of the people, by the people, for the people.” This is also why I want to be absolutely clear about what Romanians are asking of the United States. Romanians are not asking America to choose our President, and we are not asking Washington to interfere in Romania’s judicial system. We are asking that the right of the Romanian people to choose their own leaders be respected. We are asking the United States to remain faithful to the principles it has long proclaimed and defended: free and credible elections, the rule of law, political freedom, fundamental rights, and respect for the sovereignty of the people. True friendship does not require submission, and a genuine alliance does not require obedience. A true partnership requires mutual respect. Romania should belong neither to the East nor to the West. Romania must belong to the Romanian people. A democratic, sovereign, prosperous, and strong Romania can be one of the United States’ most reliable allies in Europe.
A DIRECT APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
I respectfully ask you, Mr. President, to pay close attention to what has happened to Romanian democracy since December 6, 2024, and to support the institutional transparency necessary for 4Romanian citizens to know and evaluate the reasons and evidence that led to the annulment of the presidential election process. I am not asking you to intervene in Romanian politics. I am asking you not to abandon the principles upon which America built its relationship with Romania.
For generations of Romanians, America has represented the hope of freedom. Romanian service members have fought alongside American service members. Romania hosts U.S. military personnel and strategic infrastructure and has accepted the responsibilities that come with being an ally. At this critical moment, many Romanians are looking to our Strategic Partnership and asking what role its shared democratic principles should play. I write this letter precisely because I still believe in the friendship between Romania and the United States of America, and because true friendship must be strong enough to confront difficult truths.
In 2025, I said: “Let us make the U.S.–Romania Strategic Partnership great again!” Today, my message is even simpler: let us make that partnership real, fair, transparent, and worthy of two free peoples. Romania is not asking others to determine its future. Romania is asking for respect, for truth, and for the freedom to determine its own destiny. The Romanian people are reaching the limits of what they can endure. They are being impoverished by an ever-increasing tax burden while, at the same time, many feel intimidated into silence and afraid to speak out. They need help — and they need it urgently.
Mr. President, I write these words with hope — hope that the friendship between our two nations still carries meaning when democracy itself is being tested. I ask you to hear the voices of the Romanian people and to stand with them in defense of their fundamental right to speak freely, to vote freely, and to determine their own future. With deep respect for the American people and with unwavering love for Romania and its people, May God bless you, may God bless the United States of America and Romania, and may He bring peace, justice, and freedom to people everywhere.
LAVINIA ELENA WEISZ
Romanian-American Romanian Attorney Human Rights Advocate
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