It’s a warm, sunny autumn day in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, and not much is happening outside the magnificent neo-Renaissance Palace of Justice in the center of the city. Only a television crew waits next to the building to watch the two world famous and extremely controversial men who are on trial.

The hearing concerned Andrew and Tristan Tate, two notorious misogynists and social media influencers with millions of followers. The charges brought against them include human trafficking and abuse of women.

But on Oct. 31, as has happened several times before, the judge postponed setting a start date for the trial following motions from attorneys representing the two men to delay the proceedings, including motions questioning whether the evidence presented were admissible. The brothers, who have dual British and American citizenship, have denied any wrongdoing.

Many perpetrators are never sentenced.

The Tate brothers, especially Andrew Tate, who was once a kickboxer, achieved global fame on social media more than a decade ago. They have millions of followers on TikTok and other platforms and have made headlines for expressing extremely misogynistic views and calling for violence against women. They have also spread racist, homophobic and far-right sentiments in their posts and videos.

After Andrew Tate was briefly arrested in Britain in 2015 for assault and alleged rape, he and his brother Tristan moved to Romania the following year. They may have done it intentionally. Romania has one of the worst records in the European Union when it comes to the abuse of women and human trafficking.

European Commission reports from 2023 show that of the more than 7,000 women who are victims of trafficking and abuse each year in the EU, more than 3,000 come from Romania. The Romanian justice system is slow to process these cases and it is not uncommon for perpetrators to delay trials and never be sentenced.

The trial was repeatedly delayed

Andrew and Tristan were first arrested in Romania in late 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking and rape. They were investigated by the country’s Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Directorate.

The Tate brothers are said to have lured women into their network using the lover boy method, in which men pretend to be doting boyfriends before forcing their victims into prostitution and appearing in online sex channels and pornographic films.

Police confiscated luxury cars, as well as other valuables and cash, from the Tate brothers at their property in Voluntari, northeast of Bucharest.

Since then, the Tate brothers’ case has become a judicial odyssey. In March 2023, the two were released and placed under house arrest, from which they were released in August 2023. A court in Bucharest decided in April 2024 that the couple should face criminal proceedings. The charges included formation of a criminal organization, human trafficking in the case of 34 women, assault and rape. However, the trial has since been repeatedly postponed.

Romanian authorities go easy on traffickers

The Tates were last arrested in late August. Andrew, now 37, was placed under house arrest, while Tristan, 36, was placed under court supervision. In early October, a court ruled that luxury cars confiscated by authorities would be returned as they are not registered in his name but in the names of family and friends.

As the Tate case shows, Romanian police and courts often appear to be soft on abusers. Although the legal situation has improved in recent years, trafficking in women and violence against women continue in Romania. According to the Rise Project research network, anti-mafia prosecutors estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 traffickers operate in Romania.

The US State Department Report on human trafficking in Romania in 2023 said legislative changes and long trial periods continued to impede prosecutions and led to impunity for some officials complicit in trafficking crimes. He also said some judges lacked awareness about child trafficking and showed prejudice against victims who came from socially disadvantaged groups.

The Tates generate little public controversy in Romania

In their videos, the Tates’ misogynistic statements purport to teach men how to attract women, make them dependent on them, and rape them. The brothers believe that men should be in charge of women and make decisions, because women are supposedly lazy and incapable. Still, the Tates appear to have caused little public controversy in Romania.

In July, when the Tates were charged with human trafficking and rape, Andrew took the stage at Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti, on the Black Sea, and was acclaimed by thousands of spectators.

American rapper French Montana took him on stage and shouted: “Romania loves you, my brother!” — to the tune of a well-known song by a famous Balkan pop star that celebrates the power of money to solve all of life’s problems.

This article was originally written in German.