Protests broke out in Romania for the second consecutive night Feb. 1 over a justice reform that will allow many politicians accused of corruption to avoid criminal prosecution. Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and his Cabinet bypassed parliament and approved the reform Jan. 31 through emergency decree, just a day after Justice Minister Florin Iordache said that the draft legislation would probably be amended before it was passed. The full details of the decree were made public after they had already been passed.

In 2015, the previous Romanian government headed by Prime Minister Victor Ponta was forced out of office because of massive protests over corruption. These new measures would afford many members of that administration immunity from prosecution. There had been demonstrations against the reform for several weeks: Around 10,000 people amassed outside the government headquarters Jan. 31. When the reform was passed, though, crowds swelled to 150,000 to 300,000 people, the largest crowds since the end of communist rule in 1989.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis opposes the changes and says he will call for a referendum on the matter. Government supporters of the measures claim they are meant to alleviate overcrowding in prisons by avoiding criminal prosecution for minor offenses. But under the reform, several politicians would be pardoned, including Social Democratic Party leader Liviu Dragnea, who was convicted of electoral fraud in 2015.

International opposition to the reform has begun to mount as well. Germany, the United States, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Canada issued a joint statement Feb. 1 against the emergency decree, saying that Romania risks damaging its reputation and also its EU and NATO membership. The European Union and the United States have wanted Romania to ramp up anti-corruption efforts for years to make Romania a regional leader, a reliable NATO partner and a place where international investors feel secure. They also want to limit Russia's ability to gain sway over Romanian politicians and economic leaders. And Romania has made notable progress, granting more powers to its anti-corruption agency and arresting some of the country's prominent political figures. It's what makes the regressive reform all the more baffling.