True Moldova

Moldovan journalists unite against ‘intimidation’ on World Press Freedom Day

2009-05-03T22:28:00.003+03:00

[Română]

2009-05-03/15:22 Media organizations gathered on Sunday in Chisinau’s Opera House square to mark the World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on May 3. This year the event was marked in an atmosphere of concern and revolt against “the intimidation of journalists and media organizations following the April 5 parliamentary elections”, Info-Prim Neo reports.

The organizers of the event – the Moldovan Journalists Union (UJM), the Independent Press Association (API), the Electronic Press Association (APEL) and the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) – declared that their intention this year was to “draw the attention of the national and international public opinion to the particularly dangerous environment for a Moldovan journalist to work, to the violation of the right to information, violation of the freedom of expression, violence against the journalists and the pressure exerted by the authorities on the media outlets and media nongovernmental organizations that are critical of the government”.

API executive director Petru Macovei expressed his appreciation for the journalists who stood on the “frontline” during the tragic events in the aftermath of the April 5 polls, condemning at the same time “the biased reporting” from “many fellow journalists”. “It is key that we demand journalists to be objective, to show us the reality as it really is and never lie to us”, said Macovei.

Valeriu Saharneanu, UJM president and also the moderator of the meeting, read out the findings of a recent report by the democracy watchdog Freedom House, which showed that there’s no free press in Moldova.

However, speaking about the April events, Val Butnaru, the director of the “Jurnal de Chisinau” daily, challenged the correctness of Freedom House’s findings: “The fact that those generally apathetic and conformist European officials changed their opinion is to some extent the merit of this free press that exists in our country”. Butnaru also disputed the idea that the press was split on ethic criteria in reporting on the events that followed the April 5 polls, according to which the Russian-language papers pursued a pro-Communist policy, whereas the Romanian-language media took the side of the Opposition. “Two Russian papers – “Moldavskie vedomosti” and the Balti-based “SP” – displayed an equidistant conduct and their reporting was in agreement with journalism ethics. This proves that some reporters are what they are meant to be – the fourth branch of government”, said Val Butnaru.

Tudor Iascenco of the Rezina-based “Cuvântul” told Info-Prim Neo that today the Moldovan journalists must unite. “We must demonstrate that we are a power in this country, that we have a say in many things, especially in informing the people correctly. Because, if we fail to do this, someone else will inform them incorrectly. It’s most tragic that many fellow journalists realize that they do something wrong, but they go on doing it”, said Iascenco.

Various attendees at the event, other than journalists, agreed that the freedom of media is key in developing a democratic and European state. Writers and politicians congratulated the journalists on their day, encouraging them to do their job without fear, no matter what. Some politicians used the occasion to promise early elections in order to institute “a democratic government and a free press”.

Sursa: Info-Prim

Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism

2009-05-03T12:58:00.007+03:00

[Română]

Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism

June 3rd, 2008, Prague, Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

Prague Declaration

Bearing in mind the dignified and democratic future of our European home,

whereas societies that neglect the past have no future,
whereas Europe will not be united unless it is able to reunite its history, recognize Communism and Nazism as a common legacy and bring about an honest and thorough debate on all the totalitarian crimes of the past century,
whereas the Communist ideology is directly responsible for crimes against humanity,
whereas a bad conscience stemming from the Communist past is a heavy burden for the future of Europe and for our children,
whereas different valuations of the Communist past may still split Europe into "West" and "East",
whereas European integration was a direct response to wars and violence provoked by totalitarian systems on the continent,
whereas consciousness of the crimes against humanity committed by the Communist regimes throughout the continent must inform all European minds to the same extent as the Nazi regimes crimes did,
whereas there are substantial similarities between Nazism and Communism in terms of their horrific and appalling character and their crimes against humanity,
whereas the crimes of Communism still need to be assessed and judged from the legal, moral and political as well as the historical point of view,
whereas the crimes were justified in the name of the class struggle theory and the principle of dictatorship of the "proletariat" using terror as a method to preserve the dictatorship,
whereas Communist ideology has been used as a tool in the hands of empire builders in Europe and in Asia to reach their expansionist goals,
whereas many of the perpetrators committing crimes in the name of Communism have not yet been brought to justice and their victims have not yet been compensated,
whereas providing objective comprehensive information about the Communist totalitarian past leading to a deeper understanding and discussion is a necessary condition for sound future integration of all European nations,
whereas the ultimate reconciliation of all European peoples is not possible without a concentrated and in depth effort to establish the truth and to restore the memory,
whereas the Communist past of Europe must be dealt with thoroughly both in the academy and among the general public, and future generations should have ready access to information on Communism,
whereas in different parts of the globe only a few totalitarian Communist regimes survive but, nevertheless, they control about one fifth of the world's population, and by still clinging to power they commit crimes and impose a high cost to the well-being of their people,
whereas in many countries, even though Communist parties are not in power, they have not distanced themselves publicly from the crimes of Communist regimes nor condemned them,
whereas Prague is one of the places that lived through the rule of both Nazism and Communism,

believing that millions of victims of Communism and their families are entitled to enjoy justice, sympathy, understanding and recognition for their sufferings in the same way as the victims of Nazism have been morally and politically recognized,

we, participants of the Prague Conference "European Conscience and Communism",

having regard to the European Parliament resolution on the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe on 8 May 1945 of May 12th, 2005,
having regard to Resolution 1481 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of January 26th, 2006,
having regard to the resolutions on Communist crimes adopted by a number of national parliaments,
having regard to the experience of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa,
having regard to the experience of Institutes of Memory and memorials in Poland, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United States, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania, the museums of occupation in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as well as the House of Terror in Hungary,
having regard to present and upcoming presidencies in the EU and the Council of Europe
having regard to the fact that 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the collapse of Communism in Eastern and Central Europe as well as the mass killings in Romania and the massacre in Tiananmen Square in Beijing,

call for:

reaching an all-European understanding that both the Nazi and Communist totalitarian regimes each to be judged by their own terrible merits to be destructive in their policies of systematically applying extreme forms of terror, suppressing all civic and human liberties, starting aggressive wars and, as an inseparable part of their ideologies, exterminating and deporting whole nations and groups of population; and that as such they should be considered to be the main disasters, which blighted the 20th century,
recognition that many crimes committed in the name of Communism should be assessed as crimes against humanity serving as a warning for future generations, in the same way Nazi crimes were assessed by the Nuremberg Tribunal,
formulation of a common approach regarding crimes of totalitarian regimes, inter alia Communist regimes, and raising a Europe-wide awareness of the Communist crimes in order to clearly define a common attitude towards the crimes of the Communist regimes,
introduction of legislation that would enable courts of law to judge and sentence perpetrators of Communist crimes and to compensate victims of Communism,
ensuring the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination of victims of all the totalitarian regimes,
European and international pressure for effective condemnation of the past Communist crimes and for efficient fight against ongoing Communist crimes,
recognition of Communism as an integral and horrific part of Europe’s common history
acceptance of pan-European responsibility for crimes committed by Communism,
establishment of 23rd August, the day of signing of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, as a day of remembrance of the victims of both Nazi and Communist totalitarian regimes, in the same way Europe remembers the victims of the Holocaust on January 27th,
responsible attitudes of National Parliaments as regards acknowledgement of Communist crimes as crimes against humanity, leading to the appropriate legislation, and to the parliamentary monitoring of such legislation,
effective public debate about the commercial and political misuse of Communist symbols,
continuation of the European Commission hearings regarding victims of totalitarian regimes, with a view to the compilation of a Commission communication,
establishment in European states, which had been ruled by totalitarian Communist regimes, of committees composed of independent experts with the task of collecting and assessing information on violations of human rights under totalitarian Communist regime at national level with a view to collaborating closely with a Council of Europe committee of experts;
ensuring a clear international legal framework regarding a free and unrestricted access to the Archives containing the information on the crimes of Communism,
establishment of an Institute of European Memory and Conscience which would be both - A) a European research institute for totalitarianism studies, developing scientific and educational projects and providing support to networking of national research institutes specialising in the subject of totalitarian experience, B) and a pan-European museum/memorial of victims of all totalitarian regimes, with an aim to memorialise victims of these regimes and raise awareness of the crimes committed by them,
organising of an international conference on the crimes committed by totalitarian Communist regimes with the participation of representatives of governments, parliamentarians, academics, experts and NGOs, with the results to be largely publicised world-wide,
adjustment and overhaul of European history textbooks so that children could learn and be warned about Communism and its crimes in the same way as they have been taught to assess the Nazi crimes
the all-European extensive and thorough debate of Communist history and legacy,
joint commemoration of next year’s 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the massacre in Tiananmen Square and the killings in Romania.

We, participants of the Prague Conference "European Conscience and Communism", address all peoples of Europe, all European political institutions including national governments, parliaments, European Parliament, European Commission, Council of Europe and other relevant international bodies, and call on them to embrace the ideas and appeals stipulated in this Prague Declaration and to implement them in practical steps and policies.

Founding Signatories:

Václav Havel, former dissident and President of Czechoslovakia / the Czech Republic, Czech Republic

Joachim Gauck, former Federal Commissioner for the Stasi archives, Germany

Göran Lindblad, Vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Member of Parliament, Sweden

Vytautas Landsbergis, Member of the European Parliament, former dissident and President of Lithuania, Lithuania

Jana Hybášková, Member of the European Parliament, Czech Republic

Christopher Beazley, Member of the European Parliament, United Kingdom

Tunne Kelam, Member of the European Parliament, former dissident, Estonia

Jiří Liška, Senator, Vice-chairman of the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic

Martin Mejstřík, Senator, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic

Jaromír Štětina, Senator, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic

Emanuelis Zingeris, Member of Parliament, Lithuania, Chairman, International commission for the assessment of crimes of the Nazi and Soviet occupation regimes in Lithuania, Lithuania

Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Geneva, Tibet, Switzerland

Ivonka Survilla, Exile President of Belorussia, Canada

Zianon Pazniak, Chairman of the People’s National Front of Belorussia, Chairman of the Belorussian Conservative Christian Party, United States

Růžena Krásná, former political prisoner, politician, Czech Republic

Jiří Stránský, former political prisoner, writer, former PEN club chairman, Czech Republic

Václav Vaško, former political prisoner, diplomat, catholic activist, Czech Republic

Alexandr Podrabinek, former dissident and political prisoner, journalist, Russian Federation

Pavel Žáček, Director, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Czech Republic

Miroslav Lehký, Vice-director, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, Czech Republic

Łukasz Kamiński, Vice-director, Institue of National Remembrance, Poland

Michael Kißener, professor of history, Johann Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

Eduard Stehlík, historian, Vice-director, Institute for Military History, Czech Republic

Karel Straka, historian, Institute for Military History, Czech Republic

Jan Urban, journalist, Czech Republic

Jaroslav Hutka, former dissident, songwriter, Czech Republic

Lukáš Pachta, political scientist and writer, Czech Republic

Source: Prague Declaration

Moldova Revolution. POLICE preparing ROCKS. INSTIGATORS in the CROWD. Police ALLOWING EU FLAG

2009-05-03T00:23:00.003+03:00

OSCE + Russia = Love

2009-04-27T22:11:00.002+03:00

Facing a terror wave from the communists, the journalists headed for the OSCE building for support and protection. A wrong move, as journalists from Antena 3 tv station would learn, to their bitter surprise. The team consisting of Petru Terguta, Dan Nitescu and Victor Ciprian has been harrassed, watched and threatened until Thursday, the 9th of April. Policemen in civil clothes searched for them at the hotel, and on their phones they kept receiving threatening messages. Antena 3 decided to withdraw them back home and sent them to the OSCE building to ask for protection. Terguta, Moldovan citizen, had been warned that he would be arrested and could not be protected by the Romanian consulate. Aura Titiriga, senior editor at Antena 3, tells how the journalists entered the OSCE building, and then the head of the mission, Philip Remler, agressed them verbally, being more and more violent in persuading them to leave the mission’s headquarters. Remler threatened he would call the police, which was looking for the journalists anyway. Eventually, an OSCE representative accompanied the journalists in town and all the way to the border. The next day, Terguta’s brother, Ion Terguta, was arrested on the street together with TVR tv station correspondent, Doru Dendiu.

On Saturday, after days of more and more obvious abuses on journalists, the Deutsche Welle correspondent, Vitalie Calugareanu, tried to contact the OSCE mission to ask them how they were complying with their mandate of monitoring the freedom of the press. The OSCE mission was empty, only one person was taking calls, and that person was speaking Russian only and said all others were left on Easter holiday.

Instead of condemning abuses, arrogant advice for the journalists

Oficially, the version told by the OSCE is that the mission in Moldova only monitors and reports the abuses cases on journalists and gives them further to the Government from Chisinau. They say they cannot offer consular protection or political asylum. Basically, Moldovan journalists, beaten or arrested on the streets by the police, must go through a whole bureaucratic international system, so that finally the reclaimed abuse would be examined by the same policemen that beat them. This international entity is as useless, as it is costing. The OSCE mandate has four coordinates, one of them being mass-media and human rights. 48 employees, with a yearly budget of two million euros, of which 300 000 only for the mass-media, all these so that OSCE can go on holiday during the most serious abuses during the last 20 years.

The only public statements that the OSCE office made were on the 6th and th of April. On the 6th they hurried to say that the elections had been ok. On the 7th they condemned the violences in Chisinau. No word after that, during the next days when the Moldovan journalists feared to get out of their houses and expected being arrested any moment. Only on the 14th the OSCE “woke up” from their Easter holiday. A press release from the OSCE representative, Miklos Haraszti, condemned the abuses of the authorities from Chisinau. A weird thing: although the OSCE statement was supposed to refer strictly to the serious abuses of the police and special services, Haraszti wanted to preach conduct and ethics lessons to the journalists. Filled with deep Christian feelings inside, after an Easter weekend, Haraszti urged them to keep their mouths shut and not “inflame the situation” or “personally get involved in the events they speak about“. Better said, they were supposed to leave their arrested and beaten bodies and write news from up above, from heaven.

Why we don’t need OSCE anymore

The organisation was founded during the 70’s. One of the defining lines was protecting democratic values and human rights. After 30 years, in September 2008, the Russian ambassador in Wien formally asked OSCE to give up this priority, and focus on economical and security problems. Privately, it was requested the neutralization of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the agency which is in charge of monitoring the elections and which has an unacceptable “insolence” (to be read: “independence”) degree. Russia is one of the main sponsors (approximately 35% of the OSCE budget) and does not understand to be criticized on its own money. The revolt of the political elite of soviet origins toughened after the Chechen crisis, when OSCE released one of its most severe and most criticizing towards Russian government reports. Basically, and especially since 2004, the monitoring elections reports started being politically censored by the diplomats of the organisation. Accounts like “The police surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party” (Russia, 2003) disappeared from the final OSCE / ODIHR reports; generally, frustration dominates the observers who have been breaking their bones during the monitoring campaigns: the information for which lives are risked are supressed, up to disappearance, by the diplomatic negociation of the political representatives with the local authorities, inside the OSCE.

OSCE - tourism agency for the post-soviet maffia

Currently, Georgia does not event want to hear of the OSCE anymore, as they consider it an organisation which represents the interests of the Kremlin. In Russia, the assistance mission was closed, and since 2007, monitoring elections in that country was given up altogether. In Moldova, the report on the elections was made public on Monday, after just a few hours since the end of the elections. European observers’ remarks were ruled out: baroness Emma Nicholson showed the access blocking of the Moldovan citizens to the voting sections, across the Nistru river. Marian Jean Marinescu showed that 200 000 more people appeared on the voting lists, as compared to the previous elections, and many other problems that were not just “mere incidents“, but affected profoundly the elections process. Such problems that were removed from the report made tens of thousands of Moldovan get out on streets. This way, the OSCE hostility towards journalists is nothing but a symptom of a much more serious illness of this organisation. If the Russian government manages to control through blackmail the activity of a multinational institution, meant to protect human rights in Europe, the purpose of this organisation is compromised. And if we add the fact that the access of the Romanians in the structure of the OSCE mission is basically forbidden, while the Russian becomes a compulsory language to get to top levels inside OSCE, one wonders if there is any use in sponsoring an organisation which appears to have become a tourism agency for the post-soviet maffia.

Bruxelles Puppeteering

Kalman Miszei

Hungarian Kalman Mizsei is the special EU representative in Moldova. Two years ago, he warned Romania to give up their “older brother” attitude towards Moldova. Miszei exceeded his attributions by ordering Romania to sign the base treaty with Moldova and by asking that Romania should give up granting Romanian citizenship to Moldovans, which is a sovereign atribute of Romania. The EU representative ended his speech by praising the “pluralism” and the “civil society” in Transnistria. Kalman Miszei ended up becoming a EU representative in Moldova after he had to quit from the United Nations’ Program for Development, following some serious accusations of corruption regarding financing the rehabilitation of the Moscow Planetarium with European money. Inner Citty Press, a non-profit organisation, which watches the spending of the granted funds for poor communities by UN, the World Bank, PNUD a.s.o, brings serious accusations to Miszei.

Marianne Mikko

The presenter of the elections report was the Estonian Marianne Mikko, who represented the European Parliament at the elections in the Republic of Moldova. Mikko should not have been an observer there, as being biased, as a co-president of the EU-Moldova Committee together with the communist Stepaniuc, and by her numerous statements during time, which proved her anti-Romanian subjectivity.

Mikko, an ex-journalist for a communist newspaper during the USSR, attacked heavily the Romanian president for his intention of granting Romanian citizenship to the Moldovans, which is a sovereign right of Romania. By breaching any protocol, Mikko accused him of “lack of wisdom“, then withdrawing her statement and saying that the press misinterpreted her. The Estonian representative opposes Romania taking part in the negociation format with Transnistria and Moldova joinig the EU at the same time with the West Balkan countries. Mikko stirred a whole scandal in Europe by her initiative of restricting the bloggers’ freedom of expression and the obligativity of identifying them.

David Wilshire

The most active influence Russian agent in the observers delegation at the elections in the Republic of Moldova is the British David Wilshire, a representative of the Council of Europe. Wilshire is a notorious propangandist of Moscow interests. Last year he scandalized the public opinion in the UK, when he accused Georgia of agression against Russia, following him taking part in a delegation in the ex-soviet area.

The British newspaper “The Guardian“, after reviewing all Wilshire’s pro-Russian antecedents, uncovers his slatternly lobby to impose Mihail Margelov, Putin’s man, as president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (APCE), in January 2008. After the Spanish socialist Luis Maria de Puig became president of the APCE, in the detriment of Margelov, Wilshire refused to shake hands with de Puig, saying that he had “prepared his congratulations speech in Russian, not in Spanish“. The Moscow newspaper “Kommersant” considered the event as tragic, because de Puig has just been elected, when he invited Mihail Saakasvili, the Georgian president, to the APCE session, and the APCE delegates criticized the elections for the Parliament in Russia. David Wilshire reacted, saying that the Russian elections had been correct, while the Georgian ones had been frauded.

Source: Free Moldova

Dear Mr President / SOS Moldova!

2009-04-27T22:00:00.001+03:00

Petition to EU, EC and Council of Europe

2009-04-26T13:05:00.006+03:00

Sign in the petition and speak up your voice.

This petition targets the European Union, the European Commission and the Council of Europe to intervene and send missions to Moldova.
You can share it with who like by using the social bookmarking website you prefer:

For your information, the petition is hosted here.

Source: Moldova Observer

No Frames

Is Election Crisis in Moldova Part of a Pattern in Post-Soviet Republics?

2009-04-26T12:32:00.005+03:00

By Judith Latham

Washington
24 April 2009

Moldova’s Constitutional Court has upheld the results of a vote recount that confirmed the victory of the ruling Communist Party in the nation’s April 5th parliamentary elections. The recount was initiated by the Communist Party of President Vladimir Voronin.

Leaders of the three main opposition parties called the recount a sham and had asked the court to overturn the election results. The recount confirmed the Communist Party won 60 seats in Parliament – one less than needed to nominate a president, but sufficient to form the government.

A Moldovan Perspective

The opposition refused to participate in the recount of the vote, insisting instead on checking the electoral lists, according to Moldovan political analyst Vlad Lupan, who has a radio show in the capital city, Chisinau. Speaking on VOA’s International Press Club, Lupan told program host Judith Latham, “The electoral lists contained names of people who had died as well as those who voted multiple times.” “The police arrested even those demonstrators who had protested non-violently and some of them were tortured,” he said. Lupan said the youth are now afraid and that he thinks it unlikely they will demonstrate again.

The majority of Moldova’s 3.8 million people are ethnic Romanian, but there are also sizable minorities of Russian and Ukrainian speakers – as well as the Gagauz, a Turkic group that is Orthodox Christian. “About 10 percent of the country identifies itself with Russia,” he said. He compares the political situation in Moldova with that in Georgia’s breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Moscow issued passports to locals as a pretext for an invasion aimed at “protecting” its own citizens.
“The dispute over Moldova’s integration with Europe has far more to do with Russia’s claim of a sphere of influence in the former Soviet republics than with concern for Moldova’s Russian minority,” said Lupan. “The problem extends," he says, “to Ukraine and the disputed region of Trans-Dniester.” [Also called Transniestria by ethnic Romanians, Trans-Dniester includes that area between the left bank of the river Dniester and the border with Ukraine.] Trans-Dniester was part of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic before the collapse of the Soviet Union, but declared its independence from the rest of Moldova in 1990. De jure part of the modern Republic of Moldova, Trans-Dniester is a de facto independent state whose political status remains unresolved.

Vlad Lupan describes the government of Moldova today as “authoritarian,” not unlike Russia but “not yet on the level of the dictatorship in Belarus.” “Moldova currently faces critical issues of a geo-strategic and economic nature,” he said. Lupan considers it inevitable that the interests of Russia and the European Union will collide in Moldova, Ukraine, and the former Soviet republics in the Caucasus. “Stability in the Black Sea region, a major transit route for oil, is critical to both the European Union and the United States,” he adds.

Lupan says Washington should clearly state its position against violations of human rights in Moldova. “U.S. opinion carries considerable weight,” he said, “because Moldova needs the economic aid that the United States provides.”

Economic Dimension

Also appearing on VOA’s International Press Club, East European analyst Daniel Nelson described President Voronin as “a throwback to the Soviet period during the 1950s.” He called Mr. Voronin “an anti-democrat with no interest in civil society, press freedom, or academic freedom.”

Nelson, a widely respected academic and foreign policy consultant, reminds us that Moldova’s current situation is tied to its post-World War II history. “Moldova was historically part of Romania,” he said, “but because of Romania’s involvement in World War II on the side of Germany, the Soviet Union took Moldova and absorbed it as a Soviet Socialist Republic.” That separation remains today – both physically and politically.
Earlier this month, following the parliamentary elections, President Voronin accused Romania of masterminding anti-communist disturbances and with trying to overthrow his government. In retaliation, he expelled Romania's ambassador and introduced the idea of Moldovan visas for Romanians. Moscow backed his allegation of foreign interference, but Romania, a NATO and EU member, rejected Mr. Voronin's words as a "provocation."

“Neither the European Union nor NATO is making any claim on the territory of Moldova,” Daniel Nelson said. Looking to the future, Nelson said “the best possible outcome – notwithstanding the April 5th elections – would be a stable Moldova that has some elements of prosperity.” Moldova is the poorest country in Europe.

Ethnic Dimension

Joining Lupan and Nelson on the program, Eurasian specialist Paul Goble cited ethnic tensions in post-Soviet Moldova as a reason Moldova has had difficulties in constructing a national identity. The author of many books and articles on the former Soviet Union, Goble suggested the possibility of another round of social uprisings in Moldova, not unlike the upheavals in Georgia and Ukraine in the past few years. “When there have been political problems, brought on by economic or other kinds of crises,” Goble said, “those ethnic divisions resurface.” “What often happens,” he said, “is that the ethnic divisions preclude any effective challenge to the existing political elite.” “Western capitals may think they can ignore what happens in Moldova,” he cautioned, “but in fact the consequences of what happens in Moldova are things that Western capitals cannot ignore.”

Suggested Western Response

Paul Goble suggests the European Union and the United States need to avoid remaining passive. “Make it clear to Moldova’s leaders that electoral violations are unacceptable,” he said. “And tell its neighbors that playing political games [in Moldova and Trans-Dniester] will be dangerous and counterproductive.”

Source: VOA News

Petition by the community of Moldavian students in Strasbourg to the European Parliament

2009-04-24T14:00:00.006+03:00

[Română]

Strasbourg, April 22nd 2009,

Petition by the community of Moldavian students in Strasbourg to the European Parliament

In regard to the April 5th Parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova and the subsequent protests on April 6th, 7th and 8th, we would like to bring the following to the European Parliament:
I. The results of the popular vote have been heavily tampered with during the voting process and in the course of the electoral campaign by the repeated violation of national electoral laws and international norms of conduct:

The elections have taken place in a climate of severe misinformation of the general population at the hands of the ruling party, through the control of the state-run media and a series of politically active television stations;
Opposition leaders and independent journalists have been intimidated by means of fabricated criminal charges;
Current electoral legislation has been revised in order to ensure the victory of the Communist party: the electoral threshold has been raised from 4 to 6%, the constitution of political blocks has been prohibited. The ruling party has refused to open additional polling stations, thus ignoring the repeated requests of the Moldovan citizens working and residing abroad. A law imposing that a candidate give up his second nationality in order to become eligible, has been adopted in what is a clear violation of the September 18th ruling of the European Court of Human rights.
Several thousand deceased citizens as well as Moldovan citizens working abroad are believed to have cast their vote during the April 5th elections. There have also been cases of individuals casting multiple votes.
The electoral ballot has been validated by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova on April 22nd, in spite of the evidence of electoral fraud, thus testifying to the lack of independence of the judicial system.

Consequently, by illegally exploiting the electoral system to the advantage of the ruling party, the Central Electoral Committee has declared the Communist party victorious with 49,80% of the votes and 60 seats in Parliament.

II. Following a series of anti-communist protests, mostly by young people, the Moldavian government has resorted to a series of tactics, which can only be qualified as remnants of a totalitarian regime meant to intimidate participants:

In reaction to the vandalism perpetrated against two state buildings, the ruling party has wrongfully accused the opposition of orchestrating a coup;
The Communist party has also wrongfully accused neighbouring Romania of interfering in state affairs and of actively taking part in the alleged coup; the party has also instigated protesters to violence and the profanation of state symbols;
The government has severely hindered the circulation to Moldova for Romanian and in some cases Moldavian citizens;
The government has violated its obligations under international law by expelling Romanian ambassador Filip Teodorescu. Furthermore, the introduction of a mandatory regime of visas for Romanian citizens is in direct violation of the cooperation treaty between Moldova and the European Union, signed by the former;
A wave of terror has been launched against protesters and alleged protesters, civil activists, independent journalists, high school and university students. These actions have resulted in the death of three Moldovan citizens and the arbitrary arrest and torture of several hundred others;

III. Deeply worried by the deterioration of the state of human rights in the Republic of Moldova, in the name of the Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ratified by Moldova, we ask:

That Moldova be sanctioned by the Council of Europe for the flagrant and repeated violation of European norms;
That the international community not recognize the fraudulent results of the April 5th elections, furthermore, that the international community condemn the undemocratic environment in which these elections have taken place.
That the international community take an active role in stopping the instauration of a totalitarian regime in Moldova;
That an investigation be launched aiming to investigate the reported cases of torture and murder and sanction the individuals and institutions responsible.

A Tribute to Communism

2009-04-24T12:33:00.003+03:00

A tribute to the glorious accomplishments of many decades of communist governments around the world.
After so many attempts in history, it seems the ideology still has legions of fans and supporters. The notion behind this film was to quickly explain how and why communism works exactly as it does on the state and the people living there.

Why Moldova?

2009-04-22T11:28:00.010+03:00

The recent Communist takeover may lead to greater conflict in Eastern Europe.

by Stephen Schwartz

Prishtina, Kosovo
From the United States, the small, failed state of Moldova seems distant and irrelevant. The disputed election of a new Communist government headed by an ethnic Russian, Vladimir Voronin, produced anti-Communist rioting at the beginning of this month. Moldova seemed to embody, if more appropriately, Neville Chamberlain's infamous description, at the time of Munich, of the controversy between Sudeten Germans and then-Czechoslovakia: a quarrel in a faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing.

Yet, as with the Sudetenland affair of 71 years ago, Moldova merits a closer look, and from Kosovo and other troubled countries nearby, the events in Moldova appear to be serious warnings of future crises.

Street violence in Moldova was blamed by Voronin on neighboring Romania, which the Communist politician accused of an attempted revolution and annexation. Nevertheless, allegations of misconduct in the Moldovan vote have now produced a promise to recount the ballots. With his anti-Bucharest rhetoric, Voronin served as a puppet of Vladimir Putin, the Muscovite tsar-dictator. But Voronin's rants were historically perverse. In reality, Moldova is overwhelmingly Romanian in language and culture, and was ripped off from its western neighbor in 1940, as a consequence of the Stalin-Hitler pact. The existence of Moldova as a separate country represents the last unresolved item from the dark period of the dictator's pact. The Baltic states, which were also handed over to Stalin under the agreement with Hitler, have, of course, been free of Russian imperialism since 1991.

The rule of Stalin and his Communist successors in Moldova featured numerous bizarre elements of Sovietization. The Moldovans were forced to write Romanian in the Cyrillic rather than the Latin alphabet, and were taught as children that they were a separate nation from the Romanians. In another typical byproduct of Stalinism, the substantial Jewish population--mainly remembered today for their victimization in the bloody pogrom in Chisinau (Kishinev), now the capital, in 1903--was systematically undercounted. The survival of the Yiddish language in the former Soviet republic was ignored.

Even with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was reluctant to give up control over Moldova, notwithstanding its geographical separation from Russia, with the immensity of Ukraine between them. In 1990, simultaneous with the Yugoslav' experiment in declaring Serb Republics inside Croatia, the so-called Transnistria was set up in eastern Moldova, where Russian-speakers claimed a majority. The pattern was repeated last year in the phony recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, accompanying the Russian invasion of Georgia. It was no coincidence, as Soviet politicians once habitually said, that Putin included Transnistria with South Ossetia and Abkhazia when he proclaimed their alleged independence.

The Moldovans, after 1991, responded to persistent Russian blandishments with small but significant measures indicating where their hearts and heads lay--westward. They adopted a flag almost identical with that of Romania, abandoned the Cyrillic alphabet, and raised the status of Yiddish, with television and other media in that language. But Moldova was destined to suffer isolation and misery. Notwithstanding Russian propaganda, Romania did little for its ethnic relatives, claiming that the existence of two Romanian-speaking members of the United Nations was better than one. Moldova became infamous as an exporter of women to brothels throughout Europe.

The new election of an outright Communist government was bound to stimulate discontent among Moldovan youth, who have never known the harsh realities of Slavic rule. But once again, in Eastern Europe the long-established historical paradigm defines reality. With apparent contempt for the flirtation with Moscow offered by the Obama administration, Putin and his gang are bent on firming up control over their former possessions and neighbors. A Communist regime in Moldova was merely a step, according to regional critics of Putin's intentions, toward a long-expected assault on independent Ukraine. And it was probably no coincidence that the upheaval in Moldova paralleled Moscow's assertion that Chechnya has been pacified. Chechnya borders Georgia, and many observers believe that Putin is preparing another attack on the latter country, later this year, perhaps crossing the Chechen area.

Meanwhile, down in Kosovo--whose independence was used as a spurious argument in Russian backing of South Ossetia and Abkhazia--Serbian aggression against the new republic continues. This month marks the tenth anniversary of the NATO bombing of Serbia, ending Belgrade's terror against two million Kosovar Albanians. While Montenegro, which historically trumpeted that it was more Serbian than Serbia, and Macedonia, also with a Slav majority, have both recognized Kosovo, Serbia remains stuck in its fantasy of recovering the territory, and refuses to recognize Kosovo's freedom. Defying the Kosovar authorities, Serbian president Boris Tadic crossed the border into Kosovo on April 17, claiming he wished to make a religious pilgrimage to the Serbian monastery of Decan on Orthodox Good Friday, even as Serbia presented a petition at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, against Kosovar liberty.

Predictably, European and UN officials in Kosovo, as well as the maladroit U.S. embassy personnel in Prishtina, pressured the Kosovars to allow Tadic's visit. Albanian activists rushed to the border crossing of Merdare to protest the Serb politician expected entry by motorcade. I followed and watched--but NATO authorities helped Tadic dodge the Kosovars by providing him with a helicopter, as well as an armed guard.

In the frontline of opposition to revived Russian aggression, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, and Kosovo are key players, inhabited by peoples who despise Putin and are also ready to fight for the freedoms they have gained in the past 20 years. Is Moldova worth American engagement? Probably not. But the likelihood that President Obama will abandon our commitment to place missile defense facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic would send the worst possible message to Moscow. Russian expansionism has gained new life, regardless of the blows of the global economic crisis. It can no more be ameliorated by diplomacy than can the threat of Iran and other extreme Islamist enemies of democracy, or the radical leftist upsurge in Latin America.

Let us hope that future historians do not look back at the events in Moldova and judge that obliviousness about such remote issues led us to new and worse appeasement. In the case of Moldova, we need to know now what Putin and his co-conspirators, including those in Serbia, intend, and to prepare for committed opposition to their brutal adventurism.

Stephen Schwartz is a frequent contributor to THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

Source: The Weekly Standard

The World's Most Unhappy People

2009-04-21T19:53:00.004+03:00

By LOUIS O'NEILL

The recent government crackdown in Moldova on violent protests against allegations of electoral fraud during the April 5 parliamentary vote brings to mind Eric Weiner's "The Geography of Bliss." The author's year-long search for the world's happiest place led him to the conclusion that Moldovans must be the most unhappy people. Without an "abiding faith or culture on which to rely," Mr. Weiner wrote, Moldovans harbor a superstitious world-view that is "free-floating, anchored to nothing but the cloud of pessimism that hovers over this sad land."

While a bit over the top, Mr. Weiner's research revealed important truths which have been consistently observed by scholar and visitor alike: Landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, Moldovans lack a solid sense of identity, pride of nation and hope for the future. That, along with grinding poverty, help explain why as many as one-quarter of all Moldovans live and work abroad, sending back the remittances that keep this country afloat.

It may also explain why Moldovans might be open to the current passport contest for their loyalties among Russia, Romania and to a lesser extent Ukraine. Romanian President Traian Basescu said last week that his country would give Moldovans an individualized fast-track to Romanian -- and thus European Union -- citizenship. Mr. Basescu's announcement would extend passport eligibility to the great-grandchildren (up from the grandchildren) of those who were Romanian citizens when Moldova was, until 1940, part of Romania. This extended cohort comprises much of the population of today's Republic of Moldova. But already in 2007, following Romania's EU accession, Romanian embassies were inundated with hundreds of thousands of applications for Romanian citizenship from Moldovans. Bucharest has only been able to process a small fraction of these, and it is unclear whether the new rules -- which have yet to be implemented -- will increase the pace.

At the same time, Russia has promoted its own "passportization" policy in Moldova and Transdniestria -- the latter has always been a more Russified region of Moldova. Russian forces have remained in the breakaway region east of the Dniester river supporting the Russian-speaking population who have proclaimed a "Transdniestria" republic. The territory wants to become independent and eventually join Russia, although it contains a roughly equal mix of Russians, Moldovans and Ukrainians.

Even those roughly 33% of the Transdniestrian population who are formally classified as "Moldovan" are overwhelmingly oriented toward Russia, its institutions and language. It is unclear how many Russian passports have been issued, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the number is in the many thousands. More quietly, Kiev is also looking out for what it considers ethnic Ukrainians in both right-bank Moldova and the Transdniestrian region.

An examination of the territory's tortured history helps explain the origins of this Moldovan identity confusion. The glory days of Stefan the Great's successful resistance against the Ottomans in the 15th century comprise the nation's lore and symbolism. The last five hundred years, however, have been tough on Moldovan pride.

From roughly 1503, the area was a tribute-paying Ottoman vassal until it came under Russian overlordship in 1812. A few months of independence after the chaos of the Russian Revolution led in 1918 to a "voluntary" union with Romania, which treated its cousins less than chivalrously. This union lasted until the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact sliced back the area to the USSR in 1940. After changing hands during World War II, the territory of today's Republic of Moldova -- with Stalin grafting on the traditionally Russian area of Transdniestria on the left bank of the Dniester river and stripping off to Ukraine the valuable but Romanian-speaking North Bukovina and Budjak in the south -- was swallowed as a Soviet Republic until independence in 1991.

Moldovan identity issues reach deeper than just into geography and citizenship but into their language and thus consciousness. During Soviet times, Romanian -- the native language of some two-thirds of Moldovans -- was declared to be "Moldovan." Top Soviet propagandists in all seriousness created a Romanian-Moldovan dictionary. The written word was recast in Cyrillic instead of the Latin letters used in neighboring Romania since 1859.

But literature in either Romanian or "Moldovan" was repressed anyway, and the language of government and public discourse was Russian. To this day, the older generation in Moldova speaks beautiful, accent-free Russian, while young people use Romanian and have turned to English as their second language, although the smart ones do recognize the practical importance of keeping up their Russian.

In his eight years as president, Moldovan Communist leader Vladimir Voronin has tacked carefully between Moscow and Brussels, or between the inevitably fond memories of their youth that motivate his aging electoral base and the European aspirations of the new generation. But Mr. Voronin's moves have often been more treading water than navigation, and these competing generational -- and identity -- interests found expression in the postelection protests on April 7 and 8.

With many Moldovans potentially "acceding" to the EU as individuals, and lots of Transdniestrians likewise "entering" Russia, what does this mean for Moldova? President Voronin's government has already passed a law requiring that civil servants can have only Moldovan citizenship, and the Central Election Commission outed 21 parliamentarians elected on April 5 who have dual or even triple citizenship. Under the law, they must renounce these other loyalties before taking their legislative seats.

With all these forces still tugging at a relatively new, unconsolidated and poor nation, it seems a proper time and in everyone's interest to give Moldovan sovereignty a boost. After all, every nation recognizes Moldova's territorial integrity and sovereignty, but also the right for Transdniestria to have a special status within a unified country. A serious restart of the "5+2" talks on Transdniestria comprising Russia, Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the EU, the U.S. as well as Moldova and Transdniestria, could lead to a real settlement. Such a deal could open important new areas of trust in a reinvigorated U.S.-EU-Russian relationship and improve the lives of people on both sides of the Dniester.

And as for the "Geography of Bliss": I've never seen the Moldovans and Transdniestrians more happy and united as when the Moldovan national football team plays its European rivals at the high-tech "Sherif" stadium, deep within Transdniestrian territory.

Mr. O'Neill was OSCE ambassador and head of mission to Moldova from 2006-2008.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Moscow, Leave Moldova Alone

2009-04-21T19:20:00.006+03:00

Morally speaking, Russian actions are in a class of their own.

This time it's Moldova. Whenever Moscow's former vassal states sputter and crackle with instability, the wheezy old Cold War "moral equivalency" argument gets a new airing. Russia invaded Georgia? Well, didn't the U.S. invade Iraq? Russia sent warships to Cuba? That's because the U.S. is pushing its NATO borders up into Poland and Georgia.

Moscow's near-abroad satellites such as Abkhazia and even Belarus are "black holes" of corruption and racketeering? So look at Mexico and its drug gangs. And democracy? Don't go there--remember the first election of George W. Bush.

And now Moldova, a wobbly post-Soviet entity landlocked between Romania and Ukraine, has once again become a pawn in Russia's game. The Russkies have been kicking the territory around since the czars conquered it in 1812. For a while the czars called it Bessarabia. It became the Moldovian SSR under the Soviets.

Chunks of the territory got traded back and forth to Romania and Ukraine. When the USSR collapsed, Russia lost control and direct geographical contact because the intervening territory of Ukraine became annoyingly independent too. So the Russians destabilized Moldova by inciting separatists to carve out the breakaway region of Transnistria--a precise mirror of Moscow's strategy in Georgia's Abkhaz and South Ossetian regions, and in many other ex-satellites. Moscow's message? You break away from us, we break you apart.

On April 5, the Moldovans went to the polls. It appeared that they chose to re-elect the Communist party with a nearly 50% of the votes. The opposition parties cried foul and the ensuing demonstrations turned to riots and arson. The parliament and presidential palace were ransacked.

Widespread claims of election fraud floated about, including charges that 400,000 bogus ballots of voters who were either dead or living abroad had been counted. A recount was announced, but the opposition parties boycotted the process because they argued that recounting fake ballots would produce the same results.

Meanwhile, police had savagely attacked protesters, killing some and hospitalizing others. Moldova's Communist president accused Romania of meddling in Moldavan affairs and trying to reverse the democratic process by inciting the opposition. The opposition, for its part, accused the government of planting agents provocateurs in their midst whose violent actions allowed the police to intervene without restraint in order to, in the words of the Interior Ministry, "prevent civil war."

It's possible to argue that the original election result was legitimate, and that Moldovans simply can't get enough of Communism and that old-time Russkie bondage. They did, after all, elect the Communist Party into power in 2005--the first post-Soviet entity to do so voluntarily.

Or did they? Nobody quite knows what went on during the prior elections; nobody was watching that closely. But that the outcome should even be close in favor of Communist sentiment tells you that in Moldova, as in Ukraine and even in Georgia, indeed throughout large parts of the post-Soviet sphere, there endures plenty of nostalgia for the old Soviet system, its dubious stability and certainties.

This is where, to an unforgivable degree, we in the West have given equivalency-mongers too much to work with. In the Clinton era, the West watched impassively as command economy systems unraveled into chaos, having promised them for decades that happiness lay through democracy and transparency and open markets.

In the Bush era, the "Color Revolutions" re-infused some vigor into pro-Western ideals, but this time the Iraq project so boosted oil prices worldwide that Russia could play the West's game just as effectively by flooding money into pro-Moscow movements and backing sympathetic think tanks, oligarchs and media moguls who bought up swaths of near-abroad industries just as the West had intended to do.

Now the equivalency principle is back with a vengeance. Georgia has just undergone mass protests to unseat its pro-U.S. president, Mikheil Saakashvili. When the Georgians quite rightly point to Moscow's hand in Georgian unrest, Moldova's Communist president points to Romania's hand in the recent post-election furor.

Romania, you might ask? How on earth did Romania gather the leverage to destabilize a foreign state? Since it joined the European Union in January 2007, it has became an agent of the anti-Moscow Manichean universe, or so one pro-Communist argument goes. Pro-E.U. sentiment exists in Moldova, and even motivates activists to organize. So why shouldn't pro-Moscow activists do the same?

Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, the Moscow-centric worldview gets an all-too-sympathetic hearing among Western apologists who believe in Russia's right to revive its sphere of hegemony for no reason other than that they believe the U.S. has such a sphere. What other reason could they have for consigning a swath of the world to Moscow's mercies?

And equally in the post-Soviet sphere, why would so many people turn away from the West and vote for Communist and Socialist parties led by old apparatchiks? Their arguments are never systematically pro-anything. Everybody knows where that radical route leads and has led in the past. But in an unstable world, stability equals Stalinist law and order, and the familiar, navigable world of crony socialism.

Command economies deliver immediate relief from hunger and happenstance. Above all, they steer away from the scary contingency-ridden world of endless work, market oscillations and shiny American artifacts and promises.

So why not regress to the protective womb of a Moscow-orchestrated past-with-no-future? If the sins are equal on both sides, what distinguishes one side from the other? In recent days, for example, Azerbaijan has held talks with Russia to revive their relationship because Turkey is making moves to befriend Armenia. Azerbaijan threatens to reroute its oil and gas supplies to Europe through Russia rather than Turkey.

In this Faustian pact between Baku and Moscow, one wants to ask, what does the glowing future look like for Baku, or for any other Russia-dependent former satellite? In Baku's case, the Russians will simply use Azerbaijani fuels to pressure Europe into submission--then turn around and put the screws back on a Baku now deprived of European moral support. What's the payoff here for the Azeris, or for pro-Moscow Moldovans, Abkhazians, South Ossetians or Armenians?

One shouldn't dismiss the equivalency arguments out of hand, however flawed, because so many believe in them and because Moscow deploys them so consistently. Remember Medvedev's post-Georgia invasion "major foreign-policy speech," in which he suggested that Moscow was saving everyone from a unipolar world, that it was delivering bipolarity selflessly to world as a gift?

For bipolarity read equivalency. Let us, for the sake of argument, hold our noses and simply grant that equation up front--that Moscow's actions abroad are no better or worse than America's. Why not fall back into Moscow's embrace? Georgia has almost a million expatriates working in the Russian zone, and there are almost as many Moldovans doing so. They all speak Russian. So where's the problem?

This may sound like an absurdly empty rhetorical question, but bear with it. In the post-Soviet era, we have too arrogantly and mistakenly believed that we won the argument for good and all, that there's no need to persuade anyone anymore. We have made this assumption most self-defeatingly in the Islamic world, allowing all manner of bearded droners, secular Arab nationalists and croaky old anti-imperialists to outmaneuver us ideologically.

In Iraq, it took almost two years before we had an effective pro-U.S. broadcast entity, Al Hurrah, and it took another year before anyone listened to it. In the post-Soviet sphere, we have stopped actively countering pro-Moscow ideologies, meeting the arguments point for point as we never failed to do throughout the Cold War.

So why choose our side? Here let us think concretely of Moldova's benighted populace and others like them, struggling to think clearly after all the centuries of Russkie intrigue. Say it aloud and clearly over and over, so it becomes an easily communicable mantra: What has Moscow ever delivered in terms of happiness to any dependent peoples in its sphere?

Dear old Russkies, you who have given the world so much in the way of consolation for the human condition, Chekhov and Bulgakov and Pushkin and Rachmaninov and so much else, it's time to let go of Empire. Forget the U.S. threat, forget NATO and the E.U. and equivalency--all those excuses for plying the path of barbarism. Nobody is out to destroy you. As a political and strategic force you have wrought nothing but misery. Let the Moldovans go.

Melik Kaylan, a writer based in New York, writes a weekly column for Forbes.com. His story "Georgia In The Time of Misha" is featured in The Best American Travel Writing 2008.

Source: Forbes

They all fear of the UNION!

2009-04-20T21:38:00.004+03:00

[Română]

I am not surprised by the fact that nobody assumes the role of the leader of the rebellious masses of youth and adults, who are shocked by the present situation in Bessarabia.
The future deputies-candidates from the opposition parties (the Liberal Party[PL], the Liberal-Democrat Party[PLDM] and "Our Moldova" Alliance[AMN]) fear that those who protested will ask the reunification with Romania (which would be a right thing to be done), and, as a consequence, they will lose their wished parliamentary mandates. I am stronlgy disappointed in Dorin Chirtoaca, especially because I voted for his party.
If one wants to be a leader, one should know that there might be a time when a sacrifice for the sake of his people will be needed. It is not enough only to expect to be elected. I want to recall Iurie Rosca's example (head of People's Christian Democratic Party[PPCD]) that everybody
should keep in mind. (Iurie Rosca was once a true protector of our national values and an anti-communist, but due to the money he was offered he couldn't resist the temptation and became Voronin's ally) Still, Rosca doesn't care about what Moldova thinks of him- he and his children have a secure future now,since Iurie and Vladimir, our president, are such buddies. So if the opposition parties, together with Chirtoaca, want the same future as Rosca, they're on the right path.
Until this day I can't explain why there is no solidarity with the young people who have protested. I don't understand why the opposition leaders claim that they weren't the organizers of the protests. I don't get how they're going to prove that the elections were rigged, because everything has been planned in advance and the fact that the opposition would dispute the results of the elections was taken in consideration, as well.
Think about this: communists control the justice system, the Central Electoral Commission, the Information and Security Service, Police ans so on. It is obvious that they all have done their best to hide any traces of frauds! It wouldn't surpise me if the re-counting of the votes showed that 100% voted for the communists!
As we know, out of 2,549,804 voters who were included in the lists,59.50% of them voted,which represents 1,536,144 people. Try to remember the 'magic number' - 1,536,144. According to the official statistic data, outside of Moldova, at the time of the elections, there were 627,959 citizens
with the right to vote, out of which only 15,000 people voted, so 627,959-15,000 = 612,959 citizens had no opportunity or desire to express their right to vote.
If out of the total number we exclude those who haven't participated in the elections, being outside of country, we get 1,936,845 potential participants who were in the country. If we compare the number of those who voted, acording to the official data, with the number of the potential voters who were in the country, we get 79.3% - the attendance at the elections. That means that 4 out of 5 moldovans, who were at home on the 5th of april, voted, which is very close to the times when 99.9% voted. Times that thought would not be back! This is why I wrote above that it wouldn't be a surpise if the re-counting showed that 100% of the votes where for the communist party.
I took into consideration the official data, but if I could make a correction to these data, it would be:
1) the number of those included in the lists of the 2009 elections has increased from nowhere with 146 thousand voters since the 2007 elections;
2) the number of those who are not in the country is higher with aproximately 200,000 people than the official number;
When we summarize, we get: 2,549,804 - 146,000 = 2,089,804 voters on the lists of the 2007 elections,
627,959 + 200,000 = 827,959 moldovans from overseas on the elections day,
827,959 - 15,000 = 812,959 moldovans abroad who didn't vote,
2,089,804 - 812,959 = 1,276,845 people, who were in Moldova at the time of the elections and were able to vote.
According to CEC (the Central Electoral Commission) 1,536,144 people voted. Compared to the number of the 1,276,845 people, who were in Moldova at the time of the elections and were able to vote, we get an election attendance of 120,3%!
Wow, either these 20% are our deceased relatives, who can't live without the communists even in paradise, or aliens, who were included in the lists, being unhappy with the dictatorship of their galaxy and wanting to support Voronin so that he would remain their leader forever!
So these 20% represent 400 000 voters, if we consider that the attendance at the elections was 100%. Otherwise the number of dead souls is even greater.

An eventual reunification of all the Romanian territories could be a salvation from communist plague for us.

Source: Curaj.net

Moldova - A first class trip into dictatorship...

2009-04-20T18:00:00.004+03:00

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Source: Evz.ro. April 12, 2009. Valeriu Boboc, 23 years old, died as results of protests on April 8. The Prosecutor Office says that death occured after intoxication with unknown substance.

A week of terror and dictatorship... murders, sexual abuses and torture. Two persons died.
This is what Moldova is passing through, starting with April 7, 2009, when the protesters manifested against rigged elections by storming the buildings of the Presidency and the Parliament.
The second day after the events, President Voronin, leader of the winning Communists Party in April 5 elections blames the opposition for organizing a coup d'etat and Romania for being involved in it. He declares Romanian Ambassador persona non grata and imposes visa regime for all Romanian citizens.
Meanwhile, the Police and Security Service is detaining and arresting youth, breaking procedural laws. They are cruelly bet and maltreated.

Allegations of sexual abuses against detained girls have been reported. Two persons have already died. A feeling of terror and insecurity has been installed in the capital city of Chisinau. Events that took place raised a lot of questions, but also signals and proofs that might help find out what has happened.On the day of April 7, the protesters stormed the Presidency and the Parliament. The takeover lasted just several minutes. How was this possible? Why did the Police withdraw so quickly from both buildings? Why did the Ministry of Interior bring troops of very young policemen aged less above 20 to protect two most important buildings of the state? Why the same person hoisted the flags of EU and Romania on Presidency and then the flag of EU on the Parliament building? Why a policeman assists the protesters to hoist the flag on the building of the Parliament? Why the firefighters din not act immediately, but let the Parliament burn till late evening? Why does the police break a fence into stone pieces on the same day of the April 7 protests? Who are those groups of organised people, dressed in black and wearing sun glasses that instigate protesters and are very agressive? Why do policemen change themselves from uniforms into plain cloths behind the Government building and get infiltrated in the crowd protesting in the National Square? Why the Public TV Moldova 1, the only nation wide broadcasting channel, broadcasts dancing shows while the protests? Why the news on Moldova 1 show just wounded police and destruction? Why the Communists publish 1 mln copies of their newpaper and send it over in the villages? Why Communists stopped the verification of election lists? And why the inernational community does not have a clear message, while Russia urges the Moldovan Government to install order?
In the next pages, you will find information and links collected from local media and translated into English, to give a better understanding about the events that have happened next week and and how it will shape Moldova in the near future.

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

The results of the Parliamentary Elections from April 5 organized in Moldova, with the communists winning the majority of votes, shocked Moldovans. People, mainly youth, declared April 6 as a national mourning day, considering that election results have been rigged. They organized themselves through internet and social networks to protest and express their indignation. ThinkMoldova together with Hyde Park called young people today, April 6, at 6.pm at the statue of Stefan cel Mare from the Centre of the city. „If you did not vote for the Party of Communists take a candle and get on the street. The youth declares the day ofApril 6, the National Mourning Day", announce the organisers of the event. Source: Ziarul de Garda

April 6, 2009, Chisinau. Protesters light candles at the Statue of Stefan cel Mare as a sign of mourning, after communists won majority , during elections of April 5.

Around 6 p.m. local time, people started to gather in the centre of the city, at Stefan cel Mare Statue. With candles in their hands, and mobilized by two NGOs, they marched towards the Presidency building, shouting: "Freedom", (Libertate!) "Get out" (Afară!), "Down with the communists"(Jos comuniştii), One, two, one two, take communists to the garbage can (Unu doi, unu doi - comuniştii la gunoi). Meanwhile, the international observers make declarations, qualifying elections correct and with no violations of election standards.

The president of the Republic of Moldova, Vladimir Voronin had a phone converstation with the President of Russian Federation,
Dmitri Medvedev, at the initiative of the Russian state. Dmitri Medvedev has congratulaed Vladimir Voronin with the occasion of the victory of the Party of the Communists from the Republic Moldova within the Parliamentary elections from April 5, 2009.
The head of the Russian state showed his concern on future cooperation between the new Government from Moldova and Russian Federation authorities, mentioning the full openess to identify new opportunities to deepen and extend the multidimensional with our country. Medvedev informeed Voronin about the results of the Summit G 20 from London. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Statement by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on the Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of Moldova (5 April 2009)

"I am pleased that the elections for the fifth Parliament of the Republic of Moldova were conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner and in an overall pluralistic environment. I wish to congratulate the Moldovan people for their active participation in these elections, which confirms their commitment to democracy in their country. Nevertheless, I have taken note of the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions made by the OSCE-led International Election Observation Mission, which shows that further efforts need to be made, including at the legislative level, to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference, to guarantee full respect for freedom of expression and access to information as well as to increase public confidence in the process. Therefore, I call on the newly elected parliament to work expeditiously on implementing the Mission's recommendation once they are finalised. I look forward to the further development of EU-Moldova relations and the implementation of political and economic reforms including the strengthening of rule of law and fundamental freedoms that have been discussed in the course of our dialogue with the Moldovan authorities under the previous legislature."
UI: Statement by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner
Speaking in Chisinau on Monday 6 April Estonian Socialist MEP Marianne Mikko "noted real improvements in comparison with the 2005 parliamentary elections" explaining that polling stations officials and voters were fully aware of electoral procedures. Ms Mikko noted however that "further efforts must be made, in particular with regard to the position of the public broadcasting organisations". The international observers, in a joint statement, said that "the media provided constant opportunities to candidates to convey their message but that state broadcasters had blurred the distinction between the roles of state officials and their campaign activities." The statement goes on to say that the campaign "was affected by frequent allegations of intimidation of voters and candidates, and claims of misuse of administrative resources". Ms Mikko also voiced concern in relation to the low numbers of registered voters (just 22,000), among Moldovans living abroad who number between 600,000 and 1 million. Europe's poorest country Moldova holds election Strasbourg, 6.04.2009 - Yesterday's parliamentary elections in Moldova met many international standards and commitments, but further improvements are required to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference and to increase public confidence, the International Election Obser-vation Mission said in a statement issued today. The elections took place in an overall pluralistic environment, offering voters distinct political alternatives. The legal framework generally provided an adequate basis for the conduct of a democratic election, although important previous recommendations remain to be addressed. Election day was well-organized and passed calmly and peacefully, with no major incidents reported. The voting and counting process was assessed positively by the observers, despite a number of significant procedural shortcomings. The media provided contestants with opportunities to convey their messages, in particular through debates and paid airtime. The observers noted, however, that the state broadcaster blurred the distinction between the coverage of duties of state officials and their campaign activities. The campaign environment was affected by frequent allegations of intimidation of voters and candidates, and claims of misuse of administrative resources. Some of these allegations were verified by the observers.

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

Source: unimedia.info. April 7, 2009. Protesters manifest in a peaceful way in front of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova

"I am delighted with the progress of democracy in Moldova. These elections were very good and they gave me great confidence in the future of this country," said Petros Efthymiou, head of the delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Special Coordinator of the OSCE short-term observers.

"The people of Moldova are to be congratulated on a relaxed, mainly well-run and democratic polling day. Now the new parliament needs to make the necessary improvements to Moldova's legal framework and electoral code," said David Wilshire, head ofthe delegation of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.

"Our overall assessment of this election is positive, but there is a need to inject more trust in the electoral environment, including through unbiased news reporting by the public broadcaster, improving voter registration procedures, and ensuring that contestants are treated equally by the authorities," said Nikolai Vulchanov, head of the long-term election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
UI: Moldova’s elections

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 7, 2009

Hundreds of young people in massive flows are gathering on National Square. They have tricolor flags and anticommunist slogans. The young people come in columns from all attached streets. Yesterday, "10a.m." (Mâine la 10!) has being shouted as a message to thousands of young people, to meet again and to protest against the rigged elections and the disregard of the youth democratic option by central public authorities. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Around 12 am, almost 10.000 people are between the buildings of two important state institutions: the Presidency and the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. Policemen, mainly youngsters, equipped with protection helmets and shields form a cordon in front of the Presidency and Parliament. The protesting crowd shouts anticommunist, but also pro-Romanian slogans, such are "We are Romanians", and "Unification". The first row of protesters, mainly athletic guys, is very active and aggressive. They are trying to provoke the police and the other protesters as well.

Hundreds of men in black plain cloths are infiltrated within the protesters. They look different than the students that gathered in the centre of Chisinau. Many young people have signaled that these people instigate them to violence and make calls to physical aggressions.

The reporters of Ziarul de Garda, who are in the centre of the city signaled many cases in which men in black instigate youth to violence and aggressive provocations. Many voices sustain the youth is instigated in order to be suppressed by police. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Around 1 am, violence erupts. Protesters start to throw stones in the Presidency building and police; however the law enforcement does not react. At a certain moment, the group of Police protecting the Presidency and the one protecting the Parliament is moving towards the Centre of the Avenue. They are surrounded by the rotesters and stoned. Meantime, Presidency is stormed by rioting protesters. They enter the building and destroy documents, furniture and computers. The police are peaceful and not reacting. More people start to come in the centre.

One of the opposition leaders, Vlad Filat and other members of his party are trying to calm the spirits and ask people to leave the area of Parliament and Presidency, in order to protest peacefully in the National Square.

Later on, other leaders of the opposition: Dorin Chirtoaca and Leonid Bujor join him. They succeed to bring a large mass of people in the Square. Around 3 pm, the protesters place the flag of Romania and of the European Unions on the roof of the presidency.

At 5.15 pm, President Voronin begins his speech at the national television. He says he will find the organizers and they will be held responsible for this.

Around 6 pm, the Ambassadors of the European States have left the Government building where they had a meeting with the authorities from Chisinau. (Source: Unimedia.md)

The Ambassadors from USA, Great Britain, Romania, Czech Republic and other states have left the building of the Government where they had a meeting with the authrorities from Chisinau, including Vladimir Voronin.

The Ambassadors seemed very sad and did not want to speak with the press. Some of them declared that the authorities promised not to attack the crowd, because there are many young people and there might be victims. Being asked if there is any positive mes sage from the authorities from Chisinau, the Ambassadors were not open in declarations. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)

The General Prosecutor Office qualifies as illegal and inadmissible the actions of organizers and participants at the meeting from April, 6, 2009, under the name „Mourning Day".

Thus, on April 6, Ghenadie Brega with the active participation of the leaders of some political parties (V. Filat, A. Tanase, V. Ungureanu, V. Pavlicenco, O. Cernei, V. Nagacevschi etc.) has organised a meeting, where several hundred of people participated.

The purpose of the meeting was to protest against parliamentary election results from April, 5. Several provisions of the Law on assembly have been infringed. (art. 6, 16, 18, 19), according to which: the meeting must be peaceful; the organizer has the right to organize the meeting only in the form, place and terms indicated in the declaration; the participants have the obligation to respect the laws and public order. In reality, a lot of legal provisions have been violated and the organizers have permitted to hinder the main transportation routes, to damage and turn down the public transportation means, to attract minors, to participate in a state of drunkenness, to mock persons.

The organizers did nit respect the obligation assumed by them previously, they shown irresponsibility which affected public order, they did not ensure maintenance of law order. As a result of these actions, the meeting got transformed into a mass disorder. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Statement by Spain's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Angel Moratinos, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and Lluis Maria De Puig, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 07.04.2009 - "We have learned with concern about the violent events which have taken place in Chisinau following the 5 April parliamentary elections in Moldova. The storming of public buildings is unacceptable and we urge a halt to any further violence on all sides. We underline at the same time the importance of securing people's right to peaceful assembly. We call on all political leaders in the country to enter into a dialogue with a view to preventing any further violence.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe observed Sunday's elections and noted that they met many international standards, but that further improvements were needed. Restoring public confidence requires that rapid action is taken to address the shortcomings noted by international observers during the elections. The Council of Europe is willing to assist in this process."
Statement by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 07.04.2009 - I am concerned about reported violence during the protests against the election results in Chisinau. This is not acceptable and I call on everyone to show restraint. Council of Europe and other international observers noted several shortcomings which will have to be improved before the next elections, but they did not challenge the overall results. Some people may not be happy with the outcome, but accepting defeat is a part of the democratic process. As to any specific allegations of electoral irregularities, these should be dealt with in the court not in the street.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on violent demonstrations in Chisinau

"I am deeply concerned by reports about clashes between demonstrators and police in Chisinau. I call upon all involved to immediately stop any acts of violence. I urge all concerned to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue. I strongly call for the leaders of all Moldovan parties to call for calm, pursue dialogue and avoid statements that could further inflame the situation. I remind all parties that any complaint in connection to last Sunday's election should be addressed through the existing channels."
Commissioner Ferrero_Waldner

Trip into Dictatorship

[Click to enlarge]Source: Unimedia.info. April 7, 2009. Devastation of Presidency Building of the Republic of Moldova

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Source: Unimedia.info. April, 7 2009. Protesters stonning the Presidency Building. A day after, a video on how, police destroys a fence to prepare stones appeared. Here is the link.

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Source: Unimedia.info. April 7, 2009. In front of the Presidency buidling, waterflows are directed against protesters. For better documentation click the link.

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Source: Unimedia.info. April 7, 2009. Young people are destroying the first floor of the Parliament Building.

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Source: Jurnal.md. April 7, 2009. Police leave the Parliament and let the protesters riot the Building.

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Source: Unimedia.info. April 7, 2009. Young people are destroying the first floor of the Parliament Building.

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Source: Jurnaltv.md. April 7, 2009. Two fake protesters place the flag of the European Union on the top of the Parliamentary building. They are aided by a representative of Police. These are the same persons that placed the flag several hours agon on the building of the Presidency.

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Source: Jurnal.md. April 7, 2009. Young people protesting peacefully on the National Square. In the same time the Parliament Building is being devastated.

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Source: Unimedia.info. April 7 2009. Protesters burn documents and furniture from the Parialment

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

Around 6 pm, several hundred of police surrounded the premises of Television Moldova 1. The police are placed behind the fence, being well equipped for attacks. In the centre of Chisinau, there were many journalists from TV/Radio Moldova 1. They declared that they were not permitted to broadcast news about the events from the Centre of the city. The public TV was broadcasting music and theatre shows. The protesters have shown their disappointment towards this behavior of the governance. That is why more to overtake PublicTelevision have been expressed (Source Ziarul de Garda)

The Emergency Hospital has confirmed that nobody died during the events from the Presidency. At 18.20, the doctor on guard told the newspaper Ziarul de Garda that no decease has been registered as follow up of anticommunist wrangles. According to the doctors, 80 persons need medical assistance. A great number of people has been hospitalized having wounds, bruises brain traumas. The wounded have been transported to the Emergency hospital and the Hospital of the Ministry of Interior. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Around 6 pm, the opposition leaders (Vlad Filat, Dorin Chirtoaca, Serafim Urechean) meet with the President of the Republic of Moldova (Vladimir Voronin), the Governmental team and the Speaker of the Parliament (Marian Lupu) to negotiate over the repeated recount of votes, verification of electoral lists and anticipated elections. Around 7 pm, the protesters are very active in front of the Parliament. Violence erupts again when protesters start throwing stones. They succeed to break the doors and enter in the building. In a short time, the police without trying to use their powers and stop the vandals are leaving the Parliament. The protesters storm it as they did several hours ago with the Presidency building.
Two offices from the 5th floor of the Parliament are burning. The police are staying in the back of the presidency and do not act. Neither the firemen! Only at 10.45 pm, the firemen took control over the situation.

(Source: Unimedia.md)
In Moldova, all internet connections are shut. Massmedia is blocked. Local television cannot broadcast. The national TV is broadcasting a dancing show. (Source: Unimedia.md)

Hundreds of young people protested today in Ungheni and Balti and supported the protest in Chisinau. They declared that the elections were fake. Also, some buses with Moldovan students from Romania, coming to Chisinau to protest were not allowed to enter Moldova. (Source: Unimedia.md)

Dorin Chirtoaca, deputy president of the Liberal Party, made a call to protesters to a peaceful protest. Vlad Filat, president of Liberal Democratic Party, requested the Central Election Commission refrain from publishing the final election results, until all the petitions for reevaluating the election results from opposing parties are examined.
(Source: Unimedia.md)

The President Vladimir Voronin accuses opposition parties of preparing a coup d'Etat. On the other hand, opposition parties, declare that the protesters have organized themselves through the internet .., twitter, forums) and SMS.
(Source: Unimedia.md)

Source: Unimendia.info. April 7, 2009. Protesters stone the Police between Presidency and Parliament Building

Civil Coalition for free and correct Elections "Coali-tion 2009" considers parliamentary elections from Moldova on 5 April 2009 as not fully correct and even if we exclude the Transnistrian incidents, then we still can not consider the elections to have been free and correct.

(Source: Unimedia.md)

Ghenadii Ziuganov, one of political leaders from Russia, declared that secret services from western countries were involved in organizing the protest (Source: Unimedia.md)

Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), expressed his concern over the situation in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, and made the following statement:

"I am very concerned over the situation in Chisinau, following the 5 April parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova. International election observers noted in their preliminary findings that the elections met many international standards and commitments, but that further improvements were required to ensure an electoral process free from undue administrative interference and to increase public confidence.
I call on all sides to refrain from violence and provocation. Violence against government buildings is unacceptable. Equally important is the respect for the inalienable right of assembly of peaceful demonstrators."

Javier Solana declaration

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 8, 2009

Protests continued. Thousands of people gathered in the National Square. The atmosphere was calm, however, athletic guys, in black sports uniforms move within the crowd of people and provoke the protesters. Any attempt to film or to photograph them is not successful as they hide their faces. The police well equipped are protecting the Government. Around 6 pm, more protesters come. It is obvious that two groups of protesters participate: those who are very active and aggressive and peaceful people. The police are ready to react in case of any provocation. The first line of protesters is very active, shouting anti communistic and nationalistic slogans. Behind the Government, many police are dislocated. They are changing in plain clothes and walking into the crowd to provoke it. Late in the evening, some of the protesters are detained by men dressed in plain black cloths, put in cars and transported into unknown directions.
During the night from April 7 to April 8, a deceased person has been brought to the Emergency Hospital by a private car. According to Liviu Vovc, the chief of the City Emergency Station, during the night from April 7 to April 8, a car of Niva model brought in the trunk a dead body and declared that this is a person from protest. The persons who brought the body reported that it has been put in their trunk and they have been told to bring it to the Hospital. According to Vovc, the body was immediately taken by Police for further investigation. There are no other dead persons as follow up of the protests.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Many parents have signaled that they can not find their children. They declared that the Emergency Service reported that almost 200 young people with traumas have been taken to City Police Station on Tighina 6. The Police Station says that the children have been taken out of the city. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Today, around 10.30 am, the politician Sergiu Mocanu has been arrested. Currently his sons are on the territory of the Romanian Embassy for more than half a year, asking for protection from the Romanian state against Police abuses. He has been taken from street by ten persons in plain cloths. They did not present themselves, but said they are policemen. Mocanu was put into a car. Nobody knows where he is and his mobile phone is switched off.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
According to the data from the Central Election Commission, after counting 98,28%, the Party of Communists lost one mandate, having now 60 mandates, which is not enough to elect the future president.

The Liberal Party and the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova have equal number of mandates - 15 each. Although, the Central Election Commission promised to announce the results in the morning of April 8, up till this hour 12.30 pm, this thing did not happen. (Source: Ziarul de Garda)

All trains from Chisinau to Bucharest have been suspended. The Administration of the Railway station informed that today and tomorrow, the train will not circulate. The reporters from Ziarul de Garda have asked why trains have been suspended. The administration declared that trains were stopped because of technical reasons.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
In the evening, while filming reportage from the National Square, Oleg Brega, has been taken out of the crown and bet to blood. His camera has been destroyed. Brega needs medical assistance. At this hour, the Government is surrounded by armed people. The protests in the National Square continue. During the Mesager programme at the National Public TV, Moldova 1, Voronin continues to accuse Romania.
The Goverment endorsed a decision to impose visas to Romanian citizens. The Visa regime will be applied starting from Thursday, 9 of April. Moldovan uthorities have declared Filip Teodorescu, romanian ambassador, persona non-grata in Moldova.

The airport customs did not permit to the correspondent of Radio Romania Actualitati to enter Moldova at the international airport Chisinau.

Today, President Vladimir Voronin held a speech for 15 minutes at the national television at the main news bulletin of the country. He accuses Romania for trying to organize a "coup d'etat." Also today, Vladimir Voronin had a meeting with universities rectors why he criticizes them for letting students to participate at the protest (at the end rectors applauded).

Strasbourg, 08.04.2009 - Josette Durrieu (France, SOC) and Egidijus Vareikis (Lithuania, EPP/ CD), corapporteurs on Moldova for the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), who were present in Moldova to observe the elections of Sunday 5 April 2009, today called for "an end to violence and provocation" in the capital city, Chisinau. "We are concerned about the deterioration of the situation in a European country which nevertheless benefits from our attention and our support. Moldova needs to achieve political stability in the context of a democracy which will be able to assert itself only through elections, and not through violence", they declared. The corapporteurs stated that they would continue to monitor the situation in the country closely so that they can report to the members of the Monitoring Committee in Strasbourg during the spring Session of the PACE (27-30 April 2009).

UI: Moldova - Appeal for calm

U.S. Embassy Statement on Today's Protests in Chisinau

The United States regrets the violence in Chisinau that has led to injuries, damage to property and a possible loss of life. We call on all participants to refrain from violent action and to resolve their differences through peaceful means. We encourage government authorities to continue to show restraint. Citizens of a democracy have the right to assemble and express their views in a peaceful manner. We encourage all Moldovan citizens to work together and resolve their differences amicably.

UI: US Embassy Statement

Emma Nicholson, member of the EU Parliament, on Moldovan Elections

"When we stoped the count at about 1 a.m., it looked as though the Communists were going to have 35%, and the combined opposition would be about 40 to 45%," baroness Emma Nicholson, a member of the European Parliament, has told the BBC. She monitored the elections as part of the OSCE team. And by 8 a.m. the figures were really very very different indeed. It was 50% for the Communists and something tiny, very small indeed for the other opposition parties," Emma Nicholson said. "But we had no proof," said the European parliamentarian.

"I would have been much more guarded, had I been the leader of the delegation, myself," Emma Nicholson stated. The baroness says she has much experience in monitoring the elections in this region. "Our report was much too warm and friendly towards that vote. The problem is that it was an OSCE report.

The OSCE includes the Russians. And the Russians' view was quite substantially different from my own, for example," said observer Emma Nicholson. Baroness Emma Nicholson said she found it "difficult to endorse the very warm press statement" from the head of the OSCE.

"The problem was that it was an OSCE report, and in the OSCE are, of course, the Russians, and their view was quite different, quite substantially different, for example from my own," she told BBC News. She said she and other observers had a "very, very strong feeling" that there had been some manipulation, "but we couldn't find any proof.

UI: Moldovan Riots

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

APRIL 9, 2009

It is almost 8.00 P.M., but the alarming calls keep ar-riving. Many claim they do no longer feel confident of their own safety and ask for the journalists' protection.

We received calls from people of Ialoveni city and were told that there were already over 300 young people arrested after being identified by police from the photos of the protests.

We received calls from Bacioi, and we were told that the mayor and the local police intimidated children from the city's school. They threatened the children with imprisonment if they participate in protests. Some children are in a state of shock and parents are afraid to go to the doctor.

We received calls from Chisinau and we were told that today, near the Sun City store, young people were arrested in the street and loaded onto cars and taken to an unknown destination.

We received calls from the customs' and were told that Moldovan students who wanted to return home for the Easter Holidays were stoped at the border, and were not allowed to cross the Moldovan border.

We were contacted by people from Chisinau and were told that mobile phones had been disconnected in the center of the city to create impediments in communication.

We were called by people who identified themselves as «policemen friendly to the people», and who said that the waves of arrests would continue, therefore people should not carry their ID's on them.
(They did not explain why).

We were called by people from Ciocana region of Chisinau who they said that they had received telephone calls and the people on the other end of the line introduced themselves as «police» and asked them about their neighbors, how to find them and what time they usually come home.
We were called by the parents of young people missing since the 7th or the 8th of April and they said that they could not find their children and that the police didn't want to help or explain anything.

We were called by people from Orhei and we were told that if there was a group of people of more than 5 people — some person would approach them holding a map of «The Great Romania» and immediately unidentified men would appear and arrest them accusing them of aggression from Romania.

All these things should be checked, but state institutions no longer respond to our calls. We continue to record people's complaints and we will insist on getting the official answers to all your questions.

Today, police checked all transportation means that entered into Chisinau. The Police verified in details especially the youth, ask them about the purpose of arriving in Chisinau.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)

The Central Election Commission has allowed the opposition parties to verify the election lists. The opposition has 4 days starting from today, Thursday.

Between 11 am - 12 pm, 2 BMW's arrived at the Agricultural University from Chisinau. Some uniden-tified persons took several students and transported them into unknown directions. People who saw the cars said one of it was registered in Moldova (number C CV 361, grey color, BMW) and the other in Germany (number SL AH 260, green color, BMW).
In the midway, only 200 persons are in the National Square.

Today, Gabriel Stati, one of the most important business-man from Moldova was arrested in Odessa (Ukraine). Authorities suspect him for organizing protest. At this moment, the offices of the Stati Holding are being checked by police.
(Source: Unimedia.info)

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 10, 2009

Groups of 4 to 6 persons dressed as civilians detain people that walk in the Public Garden «Ştefan cel Mare şi Sfânt from Chişinău»
Almost one hour ago, the ZD reporters saw how a young person was pursued and detained. His arms have been entwisted at his back. After a short dialogue, the young man was released and directed towards the back of the Government building. In the same time, in the park entrance, a car with the Transnistrian car plate C221BX has parked. A few people came from that vehicle and welcomed the suspect groups dressed like civilians. These suspect groups continue to patrolling the park.
Today, April 10, 2009, the Buiucani court has examined the charge against Sergiu Mocanu, former presidential adviser, submitted by the General Prosecutor Office and issued the decision to extend arrest warrant for 25 days. He is being charged of organising public disorder. We remind that on April 8, around 10:30 am, Sergiu Mocanu has been taken by force by 10 persons in plain cloths.
Moldtelecom blocked access to the most popular sites for subscribers to the Internet.
Only several dozen of people are now in the National Square. Some of the have flowers, others not, most have umbrellas — it rains. Ziarul de Garda correspondents transmit that there are many people are in plain cloths who behave as security agents observe people if they transmit newspapers or any document. They surround those who talk.
Policemen in uniform are not visible at this time in National Square. PMAN. Instead, behind the Government of Moldova, police troops, police and firefighter cars have been deployed.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Anatol Matasaru says he was beaten cruelly in offices nr.228 and 223 of the General Police Station, where was held from the morning of April 9 till the present.
His lawyer, Victor Pantaru has informed us that Anatol Matasaru was detained on the morning of April 9, by person in plain cloths that did not inform him the reason of detention.

Matasaru's lawyer has explained that he was beaten by two policemen, called Sarbu and Ghenaduie in offices 223 and 228. He says he was beaten with fists and feet. Pantaru declares that Matasaru's face looke diformed becuase of the beatings, his breathing is difficult and says to have broken ribs. Although after the beatings, he requested an ambulance, the doctors offered him the aid, but the police would have prevented them to document fully Matasaru's trauma.
"Even if is Matasaru accused, the police is not entitled to apply force. The detention conditions should be according to the standards" Pantaru said, adding that Matasaru's clothes are torn, he speaks slowly and can not breathe, accuses dizziness and faint state. Also, the file on Matasaru has been opened 6 hours after he was detained, which is again a violation of law.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Rodica Mahu, editor in chief at the Jurnal de Chisinau newspaper has been kidnapped from Puskin street, in the morning of April, 10.
Journalists are trying to find details from authorities, up till now nothing is known.
Four journalists from Ziarul de Garda have been followed today, while they were walking behind the Government, by persons in plain cloths. The journalists had to run till the hotel Joly Allon.
At 12.30, persons in civil cloths followed the reporter of Ziarul de Garda, from 31 August str. Till Tighina str. till he managed to enter in a building.
Today, men in black patrol the streets in Chisinau. They walking groups of two mainly on central street. Around the Government there are hundreds of Police with shields.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
This morning, all buses to Chisinau were stopped and verified. One bus with the route Oradea (Romania) - Chisinau was stopped and 10 students have been arrested. "I was coming home for Easter holidays. Police declares that they will allow us to go home, if our parents come with their passports to pick us up" said Catalina Tomsa for UNIMEDIA, one of the arrested persons.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
Russian Federation has offered special equipment to Moldova for fighting against the protests from Chisinau.
The news belongs to the Russian publication Kommersant.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
Journalists teams from Romania (Realitatea TV, Antena 3), who broadcasted live the events from PMAN, have been detained and expelled from Moldova.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
Russian Federation has offered special equipment to Moldova for fighting against the protests from Chisinau. The news belongs to the Russian publication Kommersant.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
The Editor-in-chief aof Jurnal de Chisinau newspaper was released in the afternoon of Paril 10. She has been detained walking near the government for extracting info which could be used to hit the government", says Jurnal.md.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
Today, around 4pm, about 800 protesters gathered in the central square of Chisinau. The young people brought with them flowers for accentuating the peaceful character of the action, where they demonstrate disagreement towards the results of the elections from April 5 and the intimidation towards the young protesters.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
Jurnal de Chisinau newspaper and JurnalTV asked the US embassy in Chisinau to offer political asylum for all the editing team, because of the fact that the reporters are being terrorized these days by the force organs.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
After the press has written that the communist government has co-participated at vandalism acts from presidency and parliament, publishing images with youth supported by policemen, today, April 10, the presidential security explained to the journalists:
"The policeman that appears in the photo on the roof of the presidency was there because he was asked to get up by the people". As about the fact that a policeman was filmed while destroying a yard for giving stones to the protesters, the explanation was: "the police could not get a car out of the yard". Where was that car from and why couldn't the car be taken out from the yard although near there was a gate, the presidential security didn't answer.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
On Thursday morning, 8 A.M., police visited several high schools from Chisinau to search for those who did not attend classes on Tuesday, April 7, when the presidency and parliament buildings were vandalized. The directors of the schools are afraid to lose their jobs.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
"They've hit me as they could. I was hit all over the body". This is how a young man commented for UNIMEDIA how he was aggressed by police during the night of April 7. The young man tells how he was beaten by the order forces, saying that they've took documents, money and the mobile phone.
(Source: Unimedia.info)
A young man of 23 years old, who was arrested on April 7, was cruelly beaten by police, after he participated at the manifestation as a translator for a group of Swedish journalists. This way, the policemen were very interested to find out what is his connection with the Swedish people.
(Unimedia.info)
Romanian reporter, Doru Dendiu, from TVR (Romanian TV) was realeased, says Antena3.
(Source: Unimedia.info)

The main leaders of non-guvernamental organisations from Moldova made statement 30 minutes ago at a press-conference, in which they declare that the protest on 7th April was pacifist and only an active group of instigators incited the crowd to vandalism. In this case, the transfer of the responsibility for the violence to opposition parties is not correct. NGO leaders ask President Voronin to stop violence to participants at the protest and opposition.

The declarations Voronin made were catalysis for people to participate at protest, mentions the declaration of NGO's leaders.
(Source: Unimedia.info)

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

APRIL 11, 2009
The access to the election lists was open only Friday afternoon and only in a few sectors out of over 30. After several hours, the access to the list was been stopped, based on a request made by the Party of Communists to the Court of Appeal. Victor Osipov, from Alliance Our Moldova, has said that today no one has access to the list. It was possible to examine the lists only in 7 the sectors and for a few hours. Moreover, the reexamination was done in absolutely inappropriate conditions, in the basement of a court. The representatives of the Party of Communists have filed a complaint with the Court of Appeal to halt the examination oflists.The meeting will take place today at 15.00
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Although Vladimir Voronin has promised to the international community that will ask the Constitutional Court to authorize the procedure votes recount today, the Central Election Commission has decided to send to Court for approval the report on the final results of elections.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
The Centre Election Committee said that 8 parties that requested access to election lists work together with the representatives of the courts. However, the access is very limited and in other voting sections is absolutely impossible, say the representatives of the Parties.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
The representatives of the Court of Appeal declared for ZDG that the request that has been filed by the Party of Communists on cancellation of vote's recount, which had to be examined today, was delayed for Monday.
Sandu Tanase, lawyer and representative of Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova declared « Knowing the degree of independence of justice from Moldova, I will not be surprised to find out on Monday that the request has been solved in favor of the Party of Communists.„The meeting has been delayed. This does not mean that they will not win. Maybe there will not even be necessary, as the Central Election Committe seeks to confirm the Election results", said Victor Osipov, Alliace Our Moldova representative.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Young people that have been arrested in the last days as results of the protests in Chisinau were transferred last night from the police sections to the Penitentiary nr.13 from Chisinau. The detained informed us that young people had traces of brutal beatings, and were cruelly beaten, when they tried to shout while being transferred to the prison. Several detained persons told us that a real tragedy happened during the night in the prison from the Bernardazzi street, Chisinau. Starting with 12:00 a.m., a car brought to prison young people arrested during the last days. They were charged of being participated in protests. Detainees say they heard many female voices screaming and asking for help. For "disturbing the peace" the guards bet them cruelly, and as more the women cried, as more severe the beatings were. The lawyers and attorneys, contacted by "Ziarul de Garda" have confirmed these facts. «I understand that several groups of detainees were brought to prison, first-at 11.00 pm, then at 12 am. Yes, we were told that they were beaten.We don't have access there yet. It is tragic.»
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
The Guard Journal (ZDG) received signals that some of the young women detained by the police during the protests have been sexually abused.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
The young women detained at the police, which opposed resistance to police proposals for cooperation were subject to physical abuses but also sexual violence. This fact has been confirmed by one of the medical workers which examined some of the young people during these days, within the Police Stations. At the General Police Station we've been told that there are no girls detained and they don't know anything about such cases.
At the same time, two women reporters of our Journal have been threatened with settling accounts by sexual abuse by the members of the order forces during April 8 incidents from backside the of the Government.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Sources from within the penitentiary inform that around 7 pm, a new group of young people arrested during the street protests was brought at Penitentiary no. 13 from Chisinau. In total it's said that 600 people are arrested.
About 40 young people have been brought recently, and 50 people were brought last night. Sources from within the penitentiary sustain that they have been placed mainly in the cells 38, 60, 81 from block no. 2, and in cells 17,14,104 from block 1. They were not allowed to make any phone calls home.
During the day, ZDG contacted constantly the press office of the Penitentiary Department as well as the phone number of Ana Racu, the representative for media relations of the Penitentiary Department, but with no success.
At this hour, the TV program "Rezonans" from TVM (Teleradio-Moldova) transmit that during the street revolts 600 people have been arrested in Moldova. There are is no other official data about the exact number of people arrested, yet.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 12, 2009
Today, the manifestations have been calm. Five po-licemen have been dislocated in front of the Gov-ernment; they did not do anything during the whole event.
In fact, the organizers had their own forces to maintain public order. They could be easily recognized by the white ribbon around their neck. However, two incidents that could have ended up in provocations took place. The first was connected with a red trolleybus that entered into the crowd.
At that moment, the National Square was full with people and the public transportation could not circulate through, it had to avoid the National Square. Out of a sudden a red trolleybus, full of people in plain clothes, mainly women entered into the crowd. The risk that somebody from the crowd would instigate to attacking the vehicle was real.
Vlad Filat has interrupted the speaker from the microphone and immediately asked the crowd to allow the trolleybus to pass. Although the crowd has formed a corridor, the trolleybus would not move. It has been noted that it got disconnected from the electricity cable. In a short time, the trolleybus has been reconnected to the electricity cable and passed under the applauses and smiles of the people. Other transportation units did not pass through the crowd.
The second incident happened on the stage. A woman dressed in black and with an icon in her hands stepped on the stage. With violent shouts, she was asking for the microphone because „she was bringing prays on behalf of Iurie Rosca", blaming the three opposition leaders, who organized the today's meeting. The woman said that her name was Iulia Lozovanu and that she recognizes only one party — the Popular Christian Democratic Party. The majority of the cameras were pointed on her. The incident lasted several tens of minutes till the woman was walked out of the stage and then out of the crowd.
Today, those 15.000 protesters from the National Square have honored the memory of the young person, killed on April 8.
Valeriu Boboc of 23 years old, supporter of the Liberal Party, has been transported to the morgue within the protests perimeter. His parents think that he was murdered with cruelty.
On the other hand, the General Prosecutor Office has communicated in a press release that: „In connection with the multiple rumors related to the death of the citizen Valeriu Boboc, the Press Service of the Prosecutor Office is in right to inform the following. On April 8, at 1.15 am, V. Boboc died on his way to the Emergency Hospital. According to the results of the autopsy, the body injuries and namely a broken rib have no causative connection with the cause of death. According to the doctors, he was subject to intoxication with an unknown substance. In order to exclude any doubts related to the cause of death, the prosecutors are ready to call an international expertise."
Meanwhile, the General Prosecutor Office has formed a special group of prosecutors with the task to verify and examine all requests and complaints filed by citizens regarding the alleged actions of abuses, torture etc., committed by police.
With regard to the persons detained or arrested within the actions of mass disorders, the Prosecutor Office informs that according to procedural criminal laws, all persons are granted legal assistance, the access of lawyers is ensure and the hearings of minors are carried out in the presence of parents or professors. The prosecutors constantly verify the detention rooms in order to exclude abuses from law enforcement.
In this context, the Public Relations sections as well as other subdivisions of the Prosecutor Office are ready to receive and examine all complaints related to alleged bad treatments."
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Source: Evz.ro April 12, 2009. Valeriu Boboc, 23 years old, died as results of protests on April 8. The Prosecutor Office says that death occured after intoxication with unknown substance.

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 13, 2009
Julieta Savitchi, the wife of Anatol Matasaru, known for his protests against corruption and anticommunist.

„Now, he is in Police arrest. They are mocking him in a certian way. He is tortured. The police make him kiss their boots, in order to let him alive. His life is in danger, says the journalist Julieta Savitchi, bringing the attention of mass media on this serious case of human rights violations. „I am afraid that I will not see him alive anymore", she says.

(Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Parents of Radu Calancea, who was arrested in April 7, on the square of the Theatre of Opera and Ballet are worried about the serious situation their son is in. „He has asthma and might die in any moment , says Mihai Calancea, outlining that he could not find out about the place his son is for a long time.

Edwin Berry, Human Rights Adviser to the UN in Moldova has managed to visit the prison nr.13 on Saturday and talk to at least 40 of the young people arrested during the protests. «I have never seen any-thing like this», said Berry.

The UN adviser claims he has seen at least 40 youngsters who are detained in various cells. «They all have traces of beatings and injuries,» Berry said, adding that practically all the prisoners are aged between 18 and 24.

The prisoners complained they were beaten in the different police sections or at the headquarters of the Commissioner General of Police. They claimed that between 25 and 28 people were held in small cells of 8 square meters. They were given very little water, and virtually no food. Also, most of them complained about the fact that they were not allowed to see a lawyer.

Source: Cotidianul.ro. April 13, 2009. Victims of police torture after the anticommunist protests.

"When I found out, where he is I insisted to give him at least the medicine. He urgently needs «Salbutamol». I took him the medicine, but they refused to give it to him.", says the father of the boy.
According to some prison inmates, Radu has been beaten with cruelty by Police. Moreover, he has been judged at the Police Station without any lawyer's presence. Nobody informed his family that Radu was transferred in the isolation room of the General Police Station, from Tighina str., in the Prison 13.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)The newspaper The Communist, published 1 milion copies has been loaded starting with Friday morning, around 8.30 am in many cars. [...]
One of the drivers has admitted that the load will be sent in all villages of Moldova. He also said that he does not work for the Party of Communists, but his boss has sent him here. It was clear that the drivers and those employed have been in a hurry.
Source: Ziarul de Garda
Many of the parents of arrested young people have notified us that they have no access to lawyers and that they don't trust the representatives of judiciary. This morning, dozens of relatives of young detained gathered around Penitenciary nr.13 and the Police Station.
Some of them still don't know where their children and relatives are, others say they know that young people are beaten and have no access to the doctor. Several mothers said their children were arrested only yesterday.
The majority had no lawyer and said that they do not know where to find one and that they have no money for legal services.
Although, Amnesty International has provided a list of lawyers open to grant services to persons detained within protests, today all lawyers said they are overloaded with cases.

«I have seen doctors in the Penitentiary, but the pris-oners say they do not receive all appropriate medical assistance)), said the UN representative. He told the press that he had taken photographs of the signs of torture which these young people bear on their bodies. He also requested to set up a meeting with the Moldovan Ministry of Interior Affairs. Also, the data that he collected during his visit will be used to docu-ment the cases and to inform the international com-munity about what is happening.
"From what I saw and heard from those 40 young people, I can say that there are serious human rights violations, namely the practices of inhuman and degrading treatment and preventing the right to legal advice, fair court proceedings and appropriate conditions of detention," said the UN official.
Berry believes it is important there is the "Committee for complaints" in Moldova, which made it possible for him to visit the prison.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 14, 2009
Several persons announced Ziarul de Gards that during the last couple of days police patrols stop teen agers on the streets.
Today, on the Dacia Boulevard (Blvd. Dacia) [...] a police patrol stopped a group of children that were going to school. The policemen asked them where they are going, who they are and other details. The children were under 14 years old and they were not accompanied by any adult persons. The law doesn't allow interrogating children in the absence of a lawyer, tutor or parent.
Yesterday, on the Stephen the Great Boulevard (Blvd. Ştefan cel Mare), next to the Fashion Center (Centrul de Modă), a police patrol stopped a group of children, aged between 12 to 14 years old, asked them to open their bags and verified their diary and other personal stuff.
The Interior Ministry didn't offer any comments about this fact, declaring that the board of the Press Office is having lunch.
(Source: Ziarul de Garda)
Anatol Mătăsaru declared today to his lawyer that he was beaten, physically and psychologically abused in order to tell his email addresses.
"They bet me and threatened me asking first of all to sign a document to recognize that I've been paid by the opposition leaders to protest, a fact which is not true. In the time, they've beaten me with their legs to give them the passwords from my email addresses. I didn't have any other alternative than giving them these passwords" said Mătăsaru, adding that he is currently detained with an HIV/AIDS infected person who does not receive medication. He was also threatened that he will be detained with very dangerous criminals, who could kill him, in case he does not cooperate with the police. Victor Panţâru sustains several human fundamental rights are violated and Matasaru will appeal to the law courts.
Ion Tabuleac is the second deceased persons after the Protests from Chisinau. He was only 22 years and died on the night of April 7, being brought to the Emmergency Hospital and left in its yard by a car belong to the Ministry of Interior.
He was working in Russia and on that evening of April 7 he was supposed to come home, but he never came, say his parents. The second day, his parents were announced to come and pick up the body from the morgue. It is another mistery, how they identified him, as he did not have any ID cards, says his mother. At the morgue, the parents were not allowed to see his body. They saw the body only after their son was dressed up. The death certificate states the he died because of a chest trauma. The body of Ion Tabuleac is full with wounds and injuries, his family says.
(Source: Mondonews.ro)

Source: Jurnal.md. Ion Tabuleac, 22 years old, died on the night of April 7 and twas hown from a car belonging to the Ministry of Interior in the yard of Emmergency Hospital from Chisinau. He was buried on April 11.

Traian Basescu underlined the access of the demon-strators into the headquarters of the Moldovan Par-liament and Presidency was not possible without the permission of the Moldovan authorities. "I repeat the authorities permitted the access of the protesters into the state's institutions," Basescu said.
The Romanian President declared himself concerned with the reprisals and the gross violations of the human rights in Moldova. "Kidnapping people, abusive arrests, threats, terrorizing the citizens, fabricating dossiers, probes without securing legal assistance," Traian Basescu specified.
He considers the Moldovan authorities' abuses against media speak about a feeling of illegitimacy and nonrepresentativeness.
Traian Basescu condemned the threat to use weapons, "announced by certain key leaders from Chisinau." "We draw your attention that using weapons against civilians, among which there also are Romanian citizens, is a crime," he said.
Basescu declined Romania's involvement in the events in Chisinau. He said by externalizing Moldova's problems, accusing Romania, the Moldovan authorities try to make the Romanians responsible for the economic, political and social hardships Moldova passes through. "It's not Romania who's responsible for the failure in democratizing Moldova, but it's ones who drag it back to the Communist, Soviet past," Traian Basescu.
Basescu says Romania will ask for a European inquest to establish the responsibility "for the reprisals of these days" as "expelling journalists, violating the human rights, the accusations in the address of the Romanian state."
In case "the oppressive measures go on , Romania will try and help the ones whose life and physical integrity are threatened," by measures of humanitarian assistance.
Basescu mentioned article 7 of the Romanian Constitution which obliges Romania to support the people from Moldova "who consider themselves Romanians and feel like Romanians."
Traian Basescu has asked the Romanian Government to urgently modify the law on Romanian citizenship, so that Moldovans be able to rapidly regain the Romanian citizenship.
In the opinion of the analyst Iulian Chifu, Traian Basescu's speech was excessively diplomatic, "especially not to offer ground for hard words."

The Romanian President's stance comes after the Moldovan authorities accused Romania and its secret ser vices over involvement in the violent acts from Chisinau. (Source: Azi.md)
Political forces in Moldova should demonstrate restraint and respect for the returns of the April 5 parliamentary elections, which numerous international observers have recognized as ones held in compliance with democratic norms. Such opinion was shared by Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Philip Remler, who met in Moscow on Monday.
The Russian foreign ministry wrote in a press release after the conversation that the Russian side had expressed a deep concern over the irresponsible actions by political forces that are not interested in preserving the statehood of the Republic of Moldova.
Karasin and Remler touched also in the Transnistria problem, in particular the possibilities available with the international mediators and observers to promote resumption of the negotiation process with an account of the recent Moscow meeting of the leaders of Moldova and Transnistria, held in the presence of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. (Source: Azi.md)

Trip into Dictatorship

Facts

Statements

APRIL 15, 2009
The opposition parties said that the decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal to ban their access to the election lists was the Communists' (PCRM) decision. However, they managed to copy a big part of the election lists from districts, on the basis of which they can track "falsifying trends." "The authorities do not want to allow us have access to the Chisinau lists especially from Rascani sector, where we suppose most of the frauds were committed," Urecheanu said.
Vlad Filat has given this example: "Cahul district has 65 polling stations, of which we checked 28 , that is 43%. In those we discovered 2,334 breaches. From what we have checked, this is 10.6%." The three leaders are inclined to believe from 10 to 30 percent of the votes were forged per total.
"Now we understand very well the days of April 6 and 7. Why did the Communists allowed to happen what happened: violence and devastating the buildings of the Parliament and the Presidency? Voronin recognizes he opened the access to those buildings on purpose," said Urecheanu, who came up with the explanation: "In order to drive away the attention of the domestic and international community from the results of the elections. And we compare it to the year 1933, when Hitler set the Reichstag on fire in order to crack down the opposition."
Politicians showed proof that 5,166 people voted in a number of polling stations, 3,280 voted with the same Identity card, 1,600 people voted with other documents than the ID card, 1,000 are forged.
The three politicians have said that, although the local authorities had had their own voters lists, several days before the vote, the Information Development Ministry sent them its lists. When the turmoil was on in Chisinau on April 7, President Vladimir Voronin decorated Info Development Minister Pavel Buceatchi with the Order Gloria Muncii (Labor Glory).
(Source: azi.md)

Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis statement on Moldova
Strasbourg, 15.04.2009 - "During the last few days, we have received very mixed news from Moldova. On one hand, I am encouraged by the proposal to check electoral lists and recount the votes. This should help to calm the post-election controversy. On the other hand, I am very concerned about alleged breaches of human rights with alleged detention of large numbers of people, including children, and restrictions on the freedom of media. Against this background, I have asked Jean-Louis Laurens, the Director General for Democracy and Political Affairs of the Council of Eu-rope, to travel to Chisinau immediately and report on the situation in the country."

Council of Europe Secretary

Other useful links:

Anatol Matasaru tortured

Nica Popescu Blog

Riot

Unimedia.info

garda.com.md

azi.md

Moldova police face brutality allegations

2009-04-20T14:27:00.008+03:00

The BBC has seen evidence of widespread police brutality in Moldova, following the disputed parliamentary election on 5 April. The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse has been hearing people's stories.

The Communist authorities made hundreds of arrests after protestors stormed public buildings in the capital Chisinau, demonstrating against what they said were rigged results.

Those who have been released tell of severe beatings in custody, and there are reports that three may have died as a result of the abuse.

At a graveside in the town of Soroca in northern Moldova, men are shovelling freshly dug earth on top of a coffin. Women are holding flowers.

Occasionally one of the mourners approaches another and breaks of a piece of bread from a circular loaf.

It is Orthodox Easter weekend, but these mourners are here to bury Eugen Tapu. His family believe he died as a result of police brutality.

"I don't believe what the police told us," Eugen's father says later at the wake, walking between the tables with a fixed expression, pouring wine for the mourners.

"They killed him, that's for sure, and they must answer for what they've done."

No marks

The police say they found the decomposing body of Eugen Tapu on 15 April, hanging from his bootlaces in the attic of a building in the capital.

But Eugen's family say they could find no marks on his neck.

The Moldovan government strongly denies any involvement in Eugen's death, or in the deaths of two other young men, Valeriu Boboc, and Ion Tabuleac.

Both were found dead in the days after the protests, and media reports have attributed their deaths to injuries suffered at the hands of the police.

The allegations are hard to prove - so far no witnesses have claimed to have seen any of the three men in police custody, and the authorities deny detaining them.

But, human rights groups say that the kinds of injuries found on their bodies are similar to those suffered by the many others who were beaten during police detention.

Strip naked

At the other end of Moldova, in the southern town of Kahul, Ion Butmalai is lying in a hospital bed. He looks weak.

On the night of 7 April, Mr Butmalai was on his way back to Kahul from Chisinau when his minibus was stopped by police.

Everyone on the bus was arrested and taken to a police station in the capital.

"We were made to stand with our hands up facing a wall," he says. "They beat us with truncheons, and with their fists, and kicked us.

"They also hit us with rifles, on different parts of our bodies, in the head, in the back, in the legs."

After three or four hours outside in the cold, he says they were taken into the building itself and forced to strip naked. Then the beatings started again.

"We were beaten until some of us were covered in blood, falling over. After that we were taken to the cells, 15 or 16 people to a cell."

No evidence

On condition of anonymity, a doctor at the hospital said that Mr Butmalai's injuries are consistent with his story.

This story is not unique. Iurie Craciuneac, an opposition activist, was arrested at the same time.

More than 10 days after the beatings, the bruises on his upper legs are still visible.

But a photo, taken after his release on 11 April, shows the real extent of his injuries, his thighs covered in purple and yellow patches.

The Moldovan police are under the direct control of the ministry of the interior.

Valentin Zubik, the deputy interior minister, told the BBC he has no evidence to prove that the any of the roughly three hundred people officially detained by the authorities, were beaten while in police custody.

Nevertheless, he says the Moldovan Prosecutor's Office is investigating the allegations.

"If it is proven that any members of the police force used unjustified force on any of the detainees - let alone torture or other means - then depending on the seriousness of the crime, they will be held responsible - whether that means disciplinary action or a criminal investigation."

Still in detention

But the executive director of Amnesty International Moldova, Evghenii Golosceapov, does not believe the minister's denials.

"I consider that these denials are not credible," he told us in the capital, Chisinau.

"All people who were interviewed by human rights defenders, including Amnesty International, are confirming that they were beaten, and they confirm that all the people they have seen in detention were beaten as well."

More than 100 of those who were arrested in the aftermath of the protests have been released in the past few days.

But Amnesty International believes that many more are still in detention.

Over the Easter weekend just gone, Chisinau's central square has been quiet.

But the scars of 7 April are still visible: windows in the parliament building are still shattered, still blackened by smoke.

The violence of those protests took the authorities by surprise. But the brutality of the response has shocked many others.

Source: BBC News

400 thousands of Moldovans have been cloned in two months

2009-04-19T23:43:00.007+03:00

[Română]

PL, and AMN PLDM Wednesday showed the first evidence of fraud elections.
● In one of the voting locations in the district Hincesti the representatives of the three parties found in the sealed bags signed lists with voters that dated 6 March 2005. ● The three opposition leaders are inclined to believe between 10 and 30 percent of the vote overall was fixed. ● Over 100,000 fake ballot were printed.

After checking a few percent from the lists of voters, it was proved that 5166 people have voted in several voting locations, 3280 voting papers had the same code, 1600 people voted based on another document than their ID, 1000 signatures were counterfeited. Even the local authorities had their own lists of voters, a few days before the elections the Ministry of Information Development submitted its lists to the voting locations.

Alexandru Taran, who lives on the Ismail str., and Nicolae Ursu, resident on Sciusev str. have the same serial number on the ID - 01021324 A. These are just examples among the thousands on the electoral lists showed by PL, and PLDM AMN, who presented yesterday, a first set of arguments in favor of massive election fraud by the Communists. According to the three parties who deny the voting results of election from April 5, the fraud was in proportion of 30%.

Morarita Constantin Victor voted with identification numbers, that were determined to belong, in fact, to Maftiuc Alexander, born in 1918. In a village of 300 voters in the north of Moldova six people voted twice using different residence forms.

Over a hundred thousand identity cards

According to the three party leaders, Mihai Ghimpu Vlad Filat and Serafim Urecheanu, right before the elections the Ministry of Information Development (MID) issued over 100 thousand false IDs, which were provided to trustworthy communist people. Apart from that MID issued are also tens of thousands of residence forms, forms. 9, which replaced the IDs. After some inspections from three regions it was revealed that more than 3200 identification numbers belong to several persons. These facts prove, and the increase in population who have the right to vote the eve of elections.

Serafim Urecheanu reported that the lists compiled by the mayors were replaced at the last minute with lists from the MID, despite the fact that the CEC has recommended that the latter are only advisory. Urecheanu mentioned that awarding the Minister of the MID had a purpose, since he assured the link between the dead people and the communist party.

400 thousand Moldovans cloned

"On 17 March 2009 CEC approved the main list 2 549 804 voters. For information on the counting of votes (www.cec.md) that the main list in the elections of April 5 included 2 583 129 citizens, or 33 325 more people. In another official information from the CEC number of citizens included in the main list was 2 564 710. Based on which documents does the surplus of voters appear on the list?” rhetorically asked Veaceslav Negruta economic expert, who is PLDM candidate. Negruta reviewed all reports and demographics of recent years which show a negative natural growth. In addition to that, he said that the local elections in 2007 only 2 226 167 people voted... According to the Negrutza’s analysis population in RM has increased"out of the blue" in the last two months, with about 400 thousand citizens with the right vote. Besides this over one hundred thousand citizens voted on additional lists.

Fraud through the additional lists

Mihai Ghimpu said that until now 5000 people were found listed in the supplementary lists to different sections. Presidents of the three parties have said that most problems they had in Chisinau, where they wanted to copy the lists of voters. They added that they didn’t see any lists from Rascani district in the capital, where most of the fraud would have been commited. Nor did they have access to the lists of polling stations abroad to demonstrate the multiple votes. However, the strategies the communists used are already clear. Vasile Untila from Discova, Orhei, voted in Bucharest with his passport that was stamped "voted". However, he has voted once in the village, as indicated by the signature of the basic list.

Representatives PL, PLDM, AMN say that the big number of voters from electoral lists of more than 117 thousands of citizens had a role in the process of election fraud. They said that there is greater mobility in the large towns, where it could explain the large number of voters on these lists, but not in villages. In some places, such as Soloneţ, Soroca, the vote was mostly based on additional lists (the main list 461 voters were included, and in the additional lists - 334).

Lists of voters in 2005

In addition to these schemes the governing authorities allowed people to vote other documents than those provided by law, and like the driver's license or car registration certificate, and many lists do not include data from ID. In Rezina the voter lists were handwritten. In one polling district Hincesti representatives of the three parties found in the sealed bags signed voter lists dated 6 March 2005. Nobody can confirm or deny whether the votes were thrown into the results recorded four years ago.

Ghimpu said the cases are only "a beginning". The three parties will present the first evidence to the Constitutional Court and will ask for extending the period of verification of voters lists. "These schemes have been used in elections in 2005. We can say that PCRM uses democracy only to maintain its power and that that this party has never earned the trust of the population, "said Ghimpu. Equally, Urechean said that the April 5 election is a complete mockery towards the electoral system in Moldova.

Source: Timpul

Moldova. Truly has risen!

2009-04-19T19:33:00.005+03:00

[Română]

[Moldova. Truly has risen]

Threats. Beatings. Terror. The law of violence. Journalists, students or even high-schoolers kidnapped from the street. These are terrible images that have been spotted by those who have followed events in the last week in Moldova.

The way the police and Vladimir Voronin's speeches reacted to the events have reminded Romanians of the cruelty the anti-communists protesters were surpressed in University Square in Bucharest in 1990, and also of Ion Iliescu diversion and manipulation . This isn’t surprising, as Iliescu and Voronin as "scholars" of the same place - Moscow. Neither Romania nor EU says it can say they don’t know reality from Chisinau and can not be deceived by the lies of Voronin and his partners.

Surprising, therefore, is the lack of response and indifference from the Romanian authorities and the representatives of the European Union. The terror in Chisinau flagrantly violated the essential rights and freedoms of human rights and freedoms which, at least at the declaratory level, are the basic values of the European Union. A passive attitude in the face of these crimes is at the same time, evidence of cowardice, a denial of their own principles and, worse, a moral complicity with criminals from Chisinau.

Hundreds of thousands of Moldovan citizens are at the same time: Romanian citizens, and implicitly, Europeans. So what happens in Chisinau is a problem of Romania and the European Union. Both Romania and the European Union must get involved so that these rights and freedoms of citizens are protected and respected!

But regardless of politicians’ weaknesses, Romanian and European alike, of whose change their minds as the wind blows from Moscow, the young people who have conquered fear and went out on the street in Chisinau should know one thing: they are not alone!

Watching their courage demonstrated in the few days before the wholly Easter holidays, that we can say with certainty that Moldova has risen. It has risen, indeed!

Source: Mindbomb.ro

Voting Fraud from April 5th 2009 – statistics

2009-04-18T23:08:00.011+03:00

[Română]

Population vs Voters

[Click to enlarge]

Population vs Voters listed

[Click to enlarge]

Demographics of the population during 2004-2008

The population was reduced from 3 607,400 citizens in 2004 to 3 572,700 citizens in 2008
There were 365,221 people of age 15-19 in 2004 and in 2008 – 327 472, a reduction that could be listed as “new voters”
The number of people who died has considerably increased (in 2004 – 41 668, and in 2008 – 43 050 citizens)
The birth rate was negative in 1999, 5000 citizens. In 2007 the negative birth rate was 5077 people.

The main lists

On 17 March 2009 CEC approved the main list with 2 549 804 voters .
From the Information on the count down of the votes of electoral population (www.cec.md) in the main list of the elections from April 5th were included 2 583 129 citizens which is 33 325 citizens more than what it should be.
In the official information - the number of people included in the main list is 2 564 710. What documents confirm this surplus of voters in the list?

The main lists – dynamics

[Click to enlarge]

CEC: Press Release

Thursday, March 12th 2009

For immediate release
The Central Electoral Committee explains the creation and verifying procedure of the electoral lists.
“The information concerning Moldovan voters, that was obtained from the Government Population Register of the Ministry of Information Development and was distributed through CEC in the counties, has a consultative purpose and cannot be taken as the main information to create the electoral lists.”

CEC: Press Release

Tuesday, March 17th 2009

Press Release
To be released immediately
CEC officially announces the number of voters in Moldova
CEC announces that the process of making and verifying the electoral lists was finalized by the local public administration agencies. According to the information received on March 17th, there are 2 549 894 voters on the electoral lists.

The main lists - conclusion

CEC didn’t assist with the creation of the main lists
The main registrars never verified the lists they received from the Ministry of Informational Development from CEC, on the contrary they added 33 325 people (Hânceşti – 18 094, Ungheni – 5217, Nisporeni – 6000, Călăraşi – 5188, Căuşeni – 4322, Cantemir – 3329)
Thus the main responsibility of overvaluing the lists belongs to MID. CEC must limit MID’s interference at the lists formation. CEC was supposed to stop the counting of the or to solicit additional information for the 33 325 that were included in the main lists.
There are no disputes from the vote registrars about any kind of errors that were made in the electoral lists.

Additional Lists – 117 563 people !!!

[Click to enlarge]

Additional lists

In some places, such as Soloneţ Soroca district, the vote was mostly based on additional lists (the list included 461 base voters, and the lists included additional 334). If in urban areas these lists have any explanation, then in rural areas these are lacking it completely.
Conclusion - Additional lists had a significant role in the process of fraud election.

Fraud Schemes

- Increase in the electoral lists of the number of voters - with 356 962 citizens comparing to the 2007 elections
- Inclusion in the list of additional to 117 563 citizens
- Total - 474 525 citizens, with 21.3% increase compared to 2007
- Information gathering from children whose parents (one or both) work abroad (Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information Development)
- Issue massive sheets accompanying the ID card and the form 9 (Ministry of Information Development)
- “Registering" unknown people at the residence addresses of several people (Ministry of Information Development) - the State Register of Population held by MDI
- “Resurrecting the dead" in the lists of basic and "participation" to vote

Unbelievable!!!

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has signed a pronouncement on conferring the Order "Gloria Labor" to Pavel's Buceatchi, Minister of Information Development. The distinction was awarded for work prodigiously in the public administration and special contribution to building an informational society in Moldova.

Signed pronouncement on April 7th and published in “Moldova Suverana” on April 13th 2009

Amnesty International's Concerns Relating To Policing During And After Tthe Events Of 7 Aapril 2009 In Chişinău

2009-04-18T22:05:00.006+03:00

Hundreds of people, including minors, were detained in Moldova as the country’s authorities clamped down following demonstrations which started in the capital on 6 April but which led to rioting on 7 April 2009.

According to the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs, by 11 April, 129 people had been detained. Of these, 88 people had been sentenced to between 2–15 days administrative detention, 22 people had been fined and four people had been released. Fifteen people were still unaccounted for. A further 86 people have been detained on suspicion of committing criminal acts.

Amnesty International is concerned that people, mostly of student age, were detained indiscriminately and many were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. Local NGOs have testimonies from over 100 detainees, their families or lawyers, claiming that they have been beaten or subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Amnesty International has written to President Vladimir Voronin raising the following concerns.

EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE BY POLICE AFTER THE DEMONSTRATIONS
Amnesty International has received many reports of excessive use of force by police following the demonstrations which began on 6 April. Amnesty International acknowledges that law enforcement officials have both a responsibility and an obligation under international law to ensure the safety and security of people and property. However, it is also the duty of the authorities to ensure that the policing of demonstrations is carried out in a manner that complies with international standards, such as the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. According to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, law enforcement officials should only use force and firearms in carrying out their duties if other means would be ineffective. Governments should ensure that any arbitrary or abusive use of force by law enforcement officers is prosecuted as a criminal offence.
Amnesty International has interviewed the following people whose cases illustrate this concern:
Valentina Cuşnir, an independent member of parliament, was near the main street of Chişinău at about midnight on 7 April. She told Amnesty International that she witnessed police beating a group of young people who had attempted to overturn a kiosk. She reported to Amnesty International that she was verbally abused by a police officer. Two officers then twisted her arms behind her back, one grabbed her by the hair and the officers then dragged her for about 200m before pushing her to the ground and letting her go. She believes she lost consciousness. Medical records confirm that she suffered concussion, a fractured left wrist and bruising to her back; she has been hospitalised as a result of these injuries.
Oleg Brega, a civil society activist, reported to Amnesty International that he was beaten by police when he attempted to film the police beating people behind the Building of the Government at about midnight on 8 April. An Amnesty International representative accompanied him to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
Valeriu Boboc reportedly died during the demonstrations on 7 April. There are conflicting reports as to the cause of his death. The General Prosecutor’s Office has reported that his death was due to poisoning with unknown substances, while his family allege that he died as a result of injuries inflicted by the police.
Amnesty International calls on the Moldovan authorities:
 to ensure that law enforcement officials are trained to use all force strictly in accordance with international standards;
 to ensure that all allegations of use of excessive force by the police during and after the events on 7 April are promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated;
 to ensure that police officers carrying out arrests identify themselves and to stop the practice of detentions being carried out by officers in plain clothes who fail to identify themselves.

WIDESPREAD TORTURE AND OTHER INHUMAN AND DEGRADING TREATMENT IN DETENTION
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, by 11 April as many as 200 people were in detention, either awaiting trial, or serving administrative sentences. By 13 April, Amnesty International had been contacted regarding 46 cases concerning people in police custody many of whom had reportedly been beaten or otherwise ill-treated. The UN Human Rights Advisor for Moldova has confirmed that he saw evidence of acts of cruel and unusual punishment when he visited the pre-trial detention centre (SIZO) No. 13 in Chişinău on 11 April.

The following cases illustrate our concerns:

A group of 36 people travelling in minibuses and a car were stopped by police in masks and machine guns at 12.30am on 7 April, and escorted to the Central Police Commissariat in Chişinău. They were reportedly made to stand in the courtyard against walls with their legs and arms apart for two hours or more, and one of them reported that he was beaten in the face with a rifle butt. When they were taken into the building they had their fingerprints taken and they were photographed and filmed. While being questioned, they each had someone standing behind them and after each question they were hit with a police baton and kicked. After questioning they were allegedly forced to run along a “corridor of death” of uniformed police, consisting of five or six on each side, while police beat, kicked and used batons against them. The group, which included seven women, was told to strip down to their underwear and forced to perform squats. They were detained overnight and given administrative sentences of between two and 10 days’ imprisonment.

Anatol Matasaru was detained on 8 April and only allowed access to his lawyer on 14 April. At the time of writing, he is still in detention and two people who had been in detention with him told his wife later that all those in detention at the same time were beaten, but that Anatol Matasaru was beaten much more than the others because he was known to the police from his previous peaceful protests. Anatol Matasaru was reportedly forced by the police officers beating him to lick their boots so that they would stop. He has been charged with a criminal offence.

Damian Hancu, a Moldovan studying in France, was at the demonstrations on 7 April interpreting for Swedish journalists when he was detained by police officers at 10pm on 7 April. He was reportedly severely beaten and kicked by police officers in custody to force him to confess to having taken part in the rioting and the destruction at the Parliamentary and Presidential buildings. He was released on 9 April and was charged with an administrative offence.

In our report on torture and ill-treatment in police custody we documented a number of factors leading to impunity for torture and other ill-treatment including low rates of conviction of police officers for torture and other ill-treatment, the difficulties that victims face in lodging complaints, as well as the failure of the Prosecutor General’s office to conduct prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations. We called on senior officials to deliver a clear message that torture or ill-treatment or threats to use such treatment are absolutely prohibited. The number of reports of ill-treatment that we are currently receiving appears to signal that there is a continuing atmosphere of impunity among police officers.

Amnesty International urges the Moldovan authorities:
 to take the lead to combat torture and other ill-treatment by delivering a clear message that such methods will not be tolerated;
 to ensure that all allegations of torture and ill-treatment are promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigated, and that anyone reasonably identified as responsible is brought to justice in fair proceedings;
 to ensure that anyone found to be a victim of such violations receives reparations, including fair and adequate compensation and full rehabilitation.

FAILURE TO PROVIDE NECESSARY SAFEGUARDS TO DETAINEES
International human rights bodies have identified the right to have access to a lawyer as one of the fundamental safeguards against ill-treatment, and that right should apply form the outset of custody. In most of the cases that have come to Amnesty International’s attention since 7 April detainees have not been provided with prompt access to a lawyer of their choice.
The following examples illustrate our concerns:

Damian Hancu, asked to see a lawyer, and reported that he was beaten even more for having asked.

The group of 36 people who were detained on 7 April, were allocated lawyers, but denied access to lawyers of their choice. One of the appointed lawyers reportedly beat his client in order to force him to confess. Two of the lawyers asked for money and said they would not work unless they were paid in advance.

There have also been reports that detainees are brought before a judge, often in groups and directly in police stations, and without adequate information as to the place and time being publicized to enable family members and lawyers to be present. The court hearings often last no more than 10 - 15 minutes and people are not being informed of their right to appeal against these decisions.

Amnesty International urges the Moldovan authorities:
 to ensure that all detainees are informed of their rights and ensured prompt access to a lawyer of their choice;
 to ensure that in criminal cases the requirements of the Criminal Procedural Code that a lawyer always be present during police interrogations is complied with;
 to ensure that court hearings are public and that information about the dates and times of hearings are publicized;
 to ensure that those sentenced under the Code on Administrative Infractions do not serve their sentences in police detention facilities.

FAILURE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THOSE WHO ARE SUSPECTED OF HAVING COMMITTED CRIMINAL ACTS AND THOSE WHO HAVE PEACEFULLY EXERCISED THEIR RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND ASSEMBLY
Amnesty International is concerned that in their haste to prosecute those who committed criminal acts during the rioting on 7 April, police and prosecutors may fail to distinguish between those who have been peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly and those who have committed violent acts. Amnesty International has previously documented cases where Ministry of Interior employees violated the right to freedom of expression by detaining people demonstrating peacefully within the law and failing to safeguard the right to freedom of expression from violation by third parties. The organization wrote to the Minister of the Interior on 11 February 2009 expressing concern at these violations.
Amnesty International is particularly concerned about the following individuals:
Natalia Morari and Ghenadie Brega have been accused of attempting to overthrow the state and could face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Both were amongst a group of civil society activists including Elena Zgardan, Artur Gurău, Ion Ţărnă and others who organized a peaceful “day of mourning” on 6 April to protest against the results of the Moldovan parliamentary elections which took place the previous day. They had informed the authorities about their plans in accordance with the law. They had not expected that as many as 10,000 people would turn up at the peaceful demonstration. The organizers of the vigil asked everybody to leave at 8pm, but the political leaders present continued speaking to the crowd until 8.30pm and then announced that there would be another meeting at 10am the following morning. Amnesty International believes that the organizers were peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly, and that if arrested for organizing a peaceful assembly for which they had notified the authorities, they would be considered prisoners of conscience.

The meeting on 7 April, turned into violent rioting. Natalia Morari told Amnesty International that she was present on that day and was engaged in trying to locate loudspeakers in order to instruct the demonstrators to stay on the designated protest site.

Amnesty International urges the Moldovan authorities:
 to ensure that police officers understand and act according to the new Law on Assemblies and Moldova’s international human rights obligations;
 to ensure that a distinction is made between those suspected of having committed criminal acts and those who have peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and assembly;
 to ensure that the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression are upheld.

IMPEDING THE WORK OF THE PARLIAMENTARY HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES (OMBUDSMEN)

Amnesty International welcomed the establishment of the Consultative Council for the Prevention of Torture within the Parliamentary Human Rights Advocates office. The Consultative Council was established in compliance with Moldova’s obligations as a state party to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture. Regular visits to places of detention by an independent monitoring body of this kind, is one of the most effective ways to prevent torture and ill-treatment.

However, Amnesty International is concerned to learn that between 7 – 13 April, the Consultative Council was refused access to many police stations, including the General Police Commissariat of Chişinău and the Central, Buiucani and Rişcani District Police Commissariats in Chişinău. It w as only able to visit the pre-trial detention centre (SIZO) No 13 on 11 April after more than an hour of negotiations and with the intervention of the Ombudsman. Furthermore, on 14 and 15 April, the Consultative Council was given very restricted access to Ciocana District Police Commissariat and access to Rişcani District Police Commissariat only when the Ombudsman arrived.

Amnesty International is further concerned by reports that the Parliamentary Human Rights Advocates have been strongly advised by the authorities not to speak out about human rights violations or assist with visits to detention centres.
Amnesty International urges the Moldovan authorities:
 to ensure that police officers at all levels are properly informed of the legal functions and duties of the Parliamentary Human Rights Advocates, including the rights to enter without any restriction, and without prior authorization, any state institution, including police stations and prisons, and to speak in confidence with any person there, without the presence of officials as set out in the Law on Parliamentary Advocates. These rights extend to the Consultative Council against Torture.

Amnesty International

Voronin has followed Hitler's example

2009-04-18T21:08:00.011+03:00

[Română]

Anton Gamurari, Major-General of Police: "Voronin has followed Hitler's example"

[Click to enlarge]
General Major of Police Anton Gamurari participated in all the special training for troops of the Ministry of Internal Affrairs, from the first company created under the battalion patrol and sentry, then the former Omonia. On 5 December 1991, by a government decision, the special police brigade “Fulger” was formed which was led by Anton until 1997. I asked him to tell us his expert opinion on the events of 7 April 2009.

- General, how do you evaluate the events from April 7?

- It was a peaceful demonstration, but I suspect that what happened later was a tactless challenge. Unfortunately, all the people in the street didn’t have organizers willing to lead them and to coordinate their actions.

- Who organized the challenge?

- Young people were contacted over the internet to gather, without any specific purpose. I suspect that this order was amended by the Service and Information Security, which who has access to all the information and the necessary equipment.

- How do you reason this assumption?

- Besides SIS, MIA has tremendous equipment. Basically, we have three ministers – MIA, Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption and Special Mission Agency. It's a huge conglomerate of officials who only harm the country. The fact that the governing officials say that they eliminated criminals is only fairy tales.
Now, instead of the criminal world, came government organizations. Police and CCECC occupied this niche. I was recently in Stefan-Voda district and some colleagues told me directly that the former criminal world today is connected with all power officials, including with the Communist Party. They have one task - to maintain power and to do as they wish.

- What were the causes that started the protests?

- It’s no longer a secret that the basic reason was the fraud election. At one point, the Communists had over 60%. And they were scared, and the chairman of the Central Election Committee, Eugene Ştirbu had heartache. It was a paradox - that PCRM has 70-80 mandates, while opposition parties - 41. As if the parliament should not be constituted of 101 members, but of over 120. Communists needed two days to cover things. Everyone voted: the dead, those working abroad, and citizens of the place with multiple residence documentation. Thus, there are hundreds of thousands of extra votes. About a year ago, an official of SIS was placed at the Ministry of Informational Development to be responsible for public records. The man was committed to his job.

- And what happened next?

- In order to hide the fraud elections, something had to be done. That’s when they gathered the young people and ordered them: "Go ahead." Suddenly, there were leading groups very well-trained. All young people, as those from the square, but with short hair cuts, were wearing sports clothing, and who have provoked others: let’s go to the presidency to parliament! In addition, where did they take rocks? I remember that on 10 November 1989, when MIA was attacked, there were brought trucks with stones, and behind the steering wheel of the KAMAZ trucks were KGB officers.

- What do think has specifically provoked the protesters?

- Many of them didn’t even realize that they came to protest against the fraud of the election. That's why they there were several dozen young people who challenged them to different actions. This was an obvious thing. They were throwing stones, they climbed over the windows, they even went under the water hoses. The challenge was from their side. A former colleague from the Presidency told me that not even the bodyguards, knew how to reach the roof. Access to the roof was limited to a number of people. How did that young guy install the flag? Only accompanied by police and security.

- How did the police act? Could the acts of vandalism been avoided?

- Sure. MIA has two powerful structures - police brigade of special purpose regiment and "Scut" that has people to safeguard any object of primary value to the country. How can someone easily give in those two buildings? It was enough only one of these buildings to be put in danger in order to block the access to go further. Now, they claim that they didn’t use those methods because protesters were young and they didn’t want to beat them. I wonder: but then why have then been beaten? Why are they still maltreated? I do not think Valeriu Boboc died because of an unknown gas. A young man of 23 years cannot easily die because of some gas, especially when other people were trapped.

- Why didn’t they block the access to the buildings?

- Because that wasn’t the intent. Several lines of defense were supposed to be formed. On 14 May 1991, indeed, was prepared attempted government overthrow, linked to the dismissal of Mircea Druc. There were six lines of policemen. Young people were sitting on the asphalt. When deputies got out of the parliament, young people got up and broke the six lines. It was a horror scene that can only be seen in movies. With only 50 policemen we fixed the lines and managed to send everyone to the main square. I wonder how 50 police were then deciding the fate of the country, and now hundreds of policemen couldn’t?

- How you think why Voronin has ordered the withdrawal?

- In order to blame the youth and on the leaders of opposition parties for what happened. And he succeeded. Just for now. People aren’t like Voronin's, they have an open mind and understand why things were done that way. I witnessed how some leaders of political parties were trying to calm down the young people and ordered them to go in the square, but not go to TVM, as some were provoked to do.

- After the withdrawal of the crowd, why wasn’t the guarding of the buildings ordered?

- Police stood behind the buildings. It could have started guarding the buildings very simply. It was expected though that the people should go further to destroy the buildings. The acts of vandalism have been instructed by some groups of young, educated by the service. You won’t find those people among those detained, because they fulfilled the order of the leaders. Police are still hunting through education, arresting and maltreating the young innocent people, who had nothing to do with acts of vandalism.

- It is true that Voronin monopolized the power in the country?

- Everything works to enrich and defend Voronin empire. The business in Moldova is held by two persons - Oleg Voronin and Oleg Smirnov, both millionaires, who have control over the republic's energy resources. Voronin pretends to know nothing about it , and openly argues with Smirnov, when the two sons of theirs get along very well. The slogan launched by the Communists in elections "For a European Moldova” has no sense, because, in fact, they orient us to Eastern Europe. Voronin has seriously affected not only relations with Romania, but also with the whole EU, and that had its purpose.

- Who is guilty of what happened on April 7 in Chisinau?

- The Communist government and, above all, President Voronin. To maintain power, he followed the Hitler’s example. He gave orders to burn Moldovan Reichstag. Sooner or later he will have to answer for what happened. Youth needs a European future, not to be his slaves, since after graduating from educational institutions; they are basically thrown in the streets. Everyone wanted a change after April 5th. If that didn’t happen, it is communist regime’s fault who fraud the elections and caused the events on April 6 and 7. It's a tough lesson and it should be taken into consideration by those who are still yet to power.

- Thank you for the interview.

Source: Timpul

EUobserver: Waving the Moldovan flag in Brussels

2009-04-18T20:42:00.005+03:00

Last Friday (10 April), a handful of people gathered on the steps of the old Stock Exchange building in Brussels. Soon, more and more arrived, unfurled banners and flags and started chanting. An old lady passed hurriedly and asked "Why don't you protest in your own country?" The answer was easy. "Because there we would not be allowed to."

The demonstrators were mostly Moldovans living in Brussels, along with a few Romanians and friends from other countries. They were students, workers, business managers and journalists. The youngest were small children, the oldest had seen their country change borders and regimes three times already. They called for "Free Moldova...SOS Europe...Freedom for the press."

All were trying to do what little they could to draw some attention from a West that simply has no idea of Moldova's plight.

A state that had enjoyed de jure democracy for the past 19 years, the Republic of Moldova has never really left the Russian sphere of influence even after declaring its independence from the Soviet bloc.

It is plagued by a frozen conflict in the secessionist, Russian-supported strip of land called Transnistria. It is divided over the history of its own questionable independence, for the most part having been part of either Romania or Russia.

Moldova is so small and poor it doesn't even have a country profile on Human Rights Watch, a body that monitors most of the countries on earth for abuses.

Little surprise then, that in the latest legislative election of 5 April 2009, the Russian-backed Communists won by a landslide – allegedly 50 percent of the votes.

The OSCE observer mission said the elections were mostly fair, but nobody noticed that out of the 43 states sending 42 long-term experts and 400 short-term monitors, the vast majority were from Russian-led CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), nor did they imagine that the observers might have been, to put it diplomatically, duped.

Most observers left the polling stations around 5 PM local time and from 6 PM the Communists saw a major surge in their favor at the exit-polls. Many people reported seeing dead relatives listed as having voted. Numerous abuses during the campaign were brushed off.

The young people of Moldova could not take it anymore. They rushed into the streets to protest. They gathered in numbers as big as 30,000 in front of the Moldovan Parliament where they tried to protest peacefully.

It is now known, from overwhelming witness accounts and photographic evidence, that a small number of people encouraged the crowd to acts of violence against the police and state buildings. It is now known that the same individuals raised the Romanian flag on the parliament building with the help of the police.

The West was, for a few seconds, interested in how the youngsters had co-operated on Twitter to start the protest.

But the same West forgot all about it pretty soon. Javier Solana blandly condemned the violence, while the Russian authorities kept "leaking" information about nefarious Romanian unionist influence.

Vladimir Voronin, the Communist President of Moldova, who is supposed to step down after the elections, could see that nobody would bother him.

He appeared on Moldovan TV (which broadcast folk music during the parliament protests), talking about "fascists" from Romania who "shamed the country" by raising the Romanian flag. He also expelled the Romanian ambassador and closed the borders for all Romanians.

Since there was still no reaction from the international community, Mr Voronin's regime started arbitrary arrests: students, protesters, journalists and opposition leaders.

An unknown number of people have been arrested and charged with everything from treason to attempts to destabilise the state.

Totalitarian police state

Moldova has now become a totalitarian police state. Even with the recount of the votes, not much will change, since it is the same Communists who do the counting as the ones who will benefit from it.

Small demonstrations like the one in Brussels have been seen all over Europe and even in the US. Paris, London, Stockholm, Boston are witnessing Moldovo-Romanian rallies in the hope that the media will turn their heads.

People are trying to help, for the sake of their friends and relatives at home, or for their own sake – who wants to be the citizen of an isolated, closed off country? Maybe the EU, maybe Nato, maybe someone will eventually act.

Nobody cares about re-uniting Moldova and Romania for now - helping people in Moldova to live freely and enjoy basic human rights is a lot more important.

But do other nations care? Some Moldovans fear that "they have all abandoned us," as one student put it, afraid that her foreign visa will soon expire and she will have to return to a country where she has no civil rights and no future.

The author is a Romanian student at Institute d'Etudes Europeenes, ULB

Source: EUobserver

Police mistreated the parliament's electrician

2009-04-18T19:24:00.007+03:00

[Română]

The electrician who works at the parliament, Vasile Şendrea, was mistreated by the police even in the building of the legislature, as after the night of April 7, he remained in order at work to prevent any kind of electrocution accidents of both the firefighters and the protesters. Şendrea came to the emergency room with a fractured leg and a back full of bruises, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs hasn’t paid any money for the treatment.

Sendrea’s case shows once more that MIA lies one more time about the reporting that they do not apply physical force towards the protesters who participated in the square on April 7th. When the devastation of the parliament building started, says Şendrea, his bosses ordered him to remain on site to light out in case of firefighters’intervention. "My mission was to disconnect the power source on all floors where fires could break. When parliament caught on fire, firefighters could not extinguish, because they would have been electrocuted" said the electrician.

Vasile Şendrea was attacked by policemen at night, around one o’clock, on one of the halls of parliament after he turned off the lights on several floors and was trying to get to the basement. "I was walking through smoke, and couldn’t see anything. Some policemen showed up in front of me and began to beat me. They took me as someone else, I believe and they were yelling: "Down! Down. “I tried to tell them I work here, but they hit me with a bat over my legs and I fell. I was constantly hit in my back with bats until they realized who I was. Then I was taken into my office and left there," reported Şendrea V. He got to the hospital himself, although he had several fractures to a leg and he also paid out of his own pocket for the medical care: "Now my leg is plaster and my back still has traces of bruises. I do not know what will be after this if they will compensate me for the cost, because I bought the medication with my money. I was just working. If I had left everything and ran away, they would have blamed me for running away"says the electrician.

According to V. Şendrea, the first room of that was allowed to be burned was the Permits Room, where he was called to help firefighters work. There is a video on the blog of Alex Cozer that shows this. You can see Ion Galiţchi (young person who stated thatt he installed flags of EU on the buildings "to calm down the masses") receiving some documents from a man suit, after which he breaks the door of the Bureau, where he shoves in a lot of paper, which was then lit. Yesterday, the MIA Gheorghe Papuc, said in a meeting with Edwin Berny, UN representative in Chisinau, the police does not maltreat those detained or arrested on April 7 ...

Source: Timpul

Voronin is awarding his evil-doers

2009-04-18T18:38:00.007+03:00

[Română]

Communist authorities from Chisinau have promised apartments to policemen. Amnesty announced by Voronin can not be applied in law, but awarding policemen - yes.

[Click t o enlarge] Foto: Reuters
Policemen dressed in civilian forcedly picked up young people off streets and put them in prison.

Moldovan Minister of Internal Affairs, Gheorghe Papuc promised them bonuses totaling three police salaries, but also apartments.
They took these responsibilities as a token of thanks for not taking off on the provokers of the crowd who instigated the destruction of the Presidency and Parliament buildings during the protests of April 7, says the publication "Time".

Amnesty, dust in eyes

As far as the young people who were kidnapped and taken to police station where they are locked in, they will not enjoy the freedom too soon since amnesty announced Wednesday by President Voronin can not be put into practice.

First, a law must be approved by the Parliament, and the new Legislative was not yet formed, writes "Ziarul de Garda".

Some analysts are of the opinion that Voronin wants to motivate such a request to the Constitutional Court to validate sooner the results of the elections to allow the legislature formation.

Attorney Victor Panţâru who ensures Anatol Mătăsaru’s protection, known for his protests against the new communist authorities, said that the order of freeing the retained persons wasn’t given at the Police Station where his client is retained.

He believes that this amnesty is a plot of the regime to "wash hands" of the issue of children and young people detained. Moreover, after his announcement Voronin Mătăsaru was transferred from the General Police Station to prison no. 13.

However, the General Trial Court announced that they had "initiated the process to revoke the measures of repression in the form of arrest, which were applied to persons who participated in actions of mass disorders in the April 7, writes" Jurnal de Chisinau ".

Torture continues

Shocking testimony about the inhuman treatment imposed on young protesters continued to appear in the press over the Prut.
Ion Cretu, II year student at the College building in Chisinau, has been detained by police near the Sun City store in April 9.

He says he was beaten with a plastic bottle filled with water in order not to show traces on the body. Now he has unbearable back pain. Cretu says that in another cell, right next to his, there were girls who were naked and beaten with legs and weapons.

Edwin Berry, UN representative in Chisinau, said he managed to talk with 40 people in the insulator 13. "From what I saw and heard from around 40 young people, I can declare that this is a serious human rights violations: the application of inhuman and degrading treatment, fencing right to legal advice, fair and adequate conditions of detention" , the UN expert said.

The third dead person

Another parent from Soroca town, was notified by police that his son, Eugen Tapu, aged 26, died. " The Body is almost unrecognized and was put by theauthorities in a hermetically sealed coffin," said Eugen’s father for the publication "Ziarul de Garda". Eugene’s sister added that they said he died nine days ago, that’s why he was placed in a sealed coffin.

On the other hand, Valeriu Boboc body of another person who is believed to have died in the actions authorities will exhume and examine in the presence of international experts.

Although he was hit in the head and neck, he had fractures and bruises, the Prosecutor General said that he died of poisoning with unknown substance. Ion Ţâbuleac young parents, the second died of communist repression, have been notified that it was a suicide, although the victim's body were traces of violence.

“From what I saw and heard from about 40 young people, may find that the serious human rights violations.”

Edwin Berry

UN representative in Chisinau

Source: Adevărul

If you are involved in the protests, then you will never be able to leave the country

2009-04-17T22:09:00.006+03:00

[Română]

"If you are involved in the protests, then you will never be able to leave the country", that’s how Moldovan students are intimidated the police and Moldovan KGB.

Moldovan students who are studying in Romania and are coming home during the Easter holidays are taken first to the police station for an investigation with an agents from the Moldovan KGB. UNIMEDIA interviewed one of the students detained by the police, who reported on how they were subjected to strict customs interrogation. Subsequently, several people in civilian student who say he would be employees of the agency have intimidated students, warning them that "if they will be involved in the protests, then they will never be able to leave the country."

Also, our source reported that at the entry in Straseni, students were stopped by several individuals who took some information for some sort of documentation, then they were taken to Police Station, who asked to give their identification information and were forced to write an explanation.

Source: Unimedia

MOLDOVA: Demand for investigation into torture allegations

2009-04-17T13:20:00.004+03:00

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is deeply concerned about reports of torture and other forms of ill-treatment of individuals, including of minors, in police custody, in the aftermath of the protests that took place from 7 to 8 April 2009 in Chisinau.

According to the information received, a wave of arrests and detention, in particular of young people, has unfolded since 7 April 2009 in Chisinau. A group of national non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has collected information regarding about 100 individuals, including minors, who reportedly were arrested in blatant violation of national and international law on arrest and detention procedures, including the right to be promptly informed of the reasons of their arrest and the right of access to their lawyers.

Several of these individuals are alleged to have suffered severe beatings and other forms of ill-treatment, including with clubs, full plastic water bottles, fists and feet, in police custody. According to a local media, a young man would have died in detention under unclear circumstances.

It is further reported that the conditions of detention, particularly in Penitentiary institution No. 13, which has received some of the arrested individuals, are very poor. According to the information received, some of the detainees have limited access to food, water and basic sanitary facilities. In other places of detention, persons deprived of their liberty have reportedly been denied visits by lawyers and human rights organisations.

While the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova has reportedly published, on 12 April 2009, lists of people arrested, there are fears that these are incomplete and that a number of individuals remain currently disappeared.

OMCT has also been informed that pre-trial hearings are taking place in district police stations with no or limited access to defence lawyers.

Following the results of the parliamentary elections on 6 April 2009 according to which the ruling communist party of Moldova had won, young people took to the streets in Chisinau protesting the fairness of the elections. These protests later resulted in clashes with police, violence and vandalism.

OMCT is gravely concerned with regard to these reports, in particular the allegations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, and calls on the Moldovan authorities to: 1) locate and make public the whereabouts of all persons who remain disappeared; 2) guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all persons deprived of their liberty and 3) guarantee immediate and unconditional access to their lawyers and families as well as prompt and thereafter regular access to independent medical care.

OMCT recalls that the absolute prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment is enshrined in all the major international and regional legal instruments to which Moldova is a State Party. OMCT therefore calls on the competent authorities to carry out prompt, effective, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into the abovementioned allegations, the results of which must be made public, in order to bring those responsible before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal and to apply penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law.

OMCT is also gravely concerned about the circumstances of these arrests and particularly the excessive use of force against minors and it calls on the authorities to order the immediate release of all individuals detained in the absence of valid legal charges consistent with international legal standards, or if such charges exist, bring the individuals concerned before an impartial, independent, and competent tribunal that will guarantee their full procedural rights at every stage of the proceedings and a fair and public hearing in the determination of any criminal charge against them.

For further information, contact: OMCT: Eric Sottas, + 00 41 22 809 49 39

Source: Crin.org

A letter to Obama

2009-04-17T11:21:00.006+03:00

You can help Moldova in 3 easy steps:
Step 1: Click on http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Step 2: Fill out the form with your information
Step 3: Copy and paste the following letter (the more people do it, the higher our chances):

Mr. President,

I have been following recent events in Moldova and was distressed by the lukewarm response and low coverage they received in the United States. I write to urge you and your administration to act and in no uncertain terms denounce the human right abuses of the Communist government in Moldova.

For the past two weeks hundreds of young Moldovans have gathered in the capital of Chisinau to peacefully demonstrate the irregular and corrupt elections held in the country on April 5. These demonstrators are protesting ongoing suppression, censorship of the press and media, infringement of basic rights to move freely. The Moldovan government, however, engaged in arbitrary retaliation against some young protesters, as recorded by the UN.

Demonstrations against anti-democractic abuses have therefore spurred more serious, unacceptable infringement of human rights, as reported by Financial Times and other leading newspapers. International observers denounced serious breaches of human and constitutional rights committed by the police. The latter arrested at least 400 students, many of whom were peaceful protesters.

These young men were beaten at police stations, imprisoned without access to lawyers, exposed to inhumane and degrading treatment, and forced into confessions. Video reports denounce significant abuses and ongoing violent police behavior. One young man was found dead after having been tortured by the police. Journalists, NGO leaders, and members of the opposition have been harassed and intimidated as well. Citizens are denied access to information as local and international media channels and internet access is being restricted and shut down.

Moldova is on the verge of losing the democratic achievements it made since independence and the international community is doing little to prevent this disaster. I sincerely urge you to make a public statement about the situation in Moldova and denounce human rights violations. In doing so, I ask you to reinforce the credibility of the United States in its commitment to democracy and universal respect for human rights.

Update: officially 4 young men beaten to death.

FirstName LastName

Beaten and Asked to Pay for It

2009-04-17T10:58:00.006+03:00

[Română]

The families of the detainees have to pay for the “feeding” of the detainees. A day behind bars costs 5.90 Moldovan lei. The policemen say the money represent the value of the meals of the daily “menu” in jail.

Evenimentul Zilei newspaper reporters talked yesterday with Ion Cretu, a young man born in december 1989, a time when Eastern Europe was overthrowing communism. After 20 years from those events, the student says the “food” his parents have to pay for consists of “sort of tea - plain water and trash good for pigs”. And a lot of beatings.
“ORIGINAL” JUSTICE - The more wounds, the more days in jail

After five days of detention, for student Ion Cretu came the moment of sentence. The detainees were split in groups and taken to the law court. There, their fate was decided without any of them being allowed to say a word. “They called us by our names, and the judge was deciding for each of us how many days in arrest we would get. Those with more wounds would get more days, to get out after they would heal. I got out, because I didn’t have too many bruises”, said that young man for EVZ newspaper.

Prison in installments

“I went to the police department, but they wouldn’t let me see my child. They only told me I had to pay 81 lei for the food they said they gave him up to that moment, said the mother of one of the young men arrested. They said that if I didn’t have all the money, I can pay by installments” said with desperation in her voice, the mother of the boy.
MEMORIES FROM THE TERROR CAVE

Ion Cretu was arrested on the 9th of April, being taken by policemen in civil clothes. He was thrown in a police car and there “meet” the policemen “efficiency”: “The driver was driving with one hand, and with the other was hitting me in the head”. Side by side with the “skillful” policeman there were other policemen hitting him in the head, stomach and liver.

Once they got to the police station, Ion got under another round of fists and feet. On the questionner’s door there was written: Rosca Dorel . Behind that door he received a “scientific correction”: “In order not to leave marks, they beat me with water bottles”. Then he was trown in the police cellars, in a cell of four square meters, together with 14 more people. “There were no beds, only one toilet, which was stinking, and the only water source was the one in the toilet”. Ion says he could not sleep the first night. The door kept opening every five-ten minutes: “Those moments were the most terrifying. Every time the door opened, we had to stand up. Those who could not stand up because of the beatings, we helped them to stand”.

The more wounds, the more days in arrests

All this time, Ion’s parents were looking for him in the whole city. They finally got to the police station’s doors. “They told father I wasn’t there. Then he told them he would go to report to “missing persons”. Eventually, they told him I was there”.

The deceased grandmother, waited to come and vote

Ion Cretu is determined to make a complaint at CEDO for the cruelty of the treatment the Moldovan authorities applied to him. He is convinced that himself was the victim of elections frauds: “When I wanted to vote in Chisinau, I was told that on that list I was recorded as “already voted”. The people there told me my grandmother was on that list, too, and she died several years ago. I am glad they resurrected her”, says with bitter humour Ion.

Another victim of the communists abuse is Anatol Matasaru, known for his peaceful single protests long before the elections, whom they took and who declared he is forced to kiss the policemen’s feet in detention. He also declared he was forced to give them his emails passwords, and when he was giving that statement to Jurnal de Chisinau he had obvious eyes bruises from beatings.

Source: Free Moldova

Moldova: Aftermath of Protests

2009-04-17T10:40:00.006+03:00

[Română]

Robert Wood
Acting Department Spokesman
Washington, DC
April 16, 2009

The United States is concerned about the situation in Moldova following the violence on April 7. Although order has been restored and subsequent demonstrations have been peaceful, we have received reports from civil society and international observers of mistreatment of those detained by Moldovan authorities. We are also troubled by reports that students and journalists have been intimidated by government officials. President Voronin’s announcement of an amnesty for many of those detained is an encouraging step toward reconciliation.

We urge the government to act in accordance with Moldovan law and its international obligations when dealing with the opposition, protesters, and the media. All parties need to conduct themselves responsibly. It is also important that the government reach out to opposition parties and address their concerns about the April 5 election in a cooperative and transparent manner. We stress that there is no excuse for violence, such as took place on April 7. The United States remains committed to working closely with Moldova and its people as the country continues down the path of European integration. Respect for the rule of law and human rights are key elements in our relationship.

Source: State.gov

True Moldova:

This 'amnesty' was granted to people that weren't actually arrested, people that were not charged with any crime, not given access to lawyers. This 'amnesty' simply means that the acting president order the Moldovan police to release all the people that it had illegally abducted and beaten. Of course 'amnesty' will do little for the families of the 4 (or a lot more) young men beaten to death in the past couple of days. And this 'amnesty' will do a lot in covering the crimes, tortures, violence and abuses made by the government.

The police announced the family that Eugen hung himself with footwear laces

2009-04-17T00:54:00.006+03:00

[Română]

The family of Eugen Tapu says the police declared that their son was found hanged in a building in Chisinau, who hanged himself with footwear laces. Eugen weight over 80 kg, and has no ordinary cut throat specific to suicide.

The aggrieved family of Eugen Tapu told us through tears that they had been advised to go to the Riscani Police Station of Chisinau city to pick up the corpse of their son. They were told by the police men that Eugen was found hanged with his own laces in an abandoned house in Chisinau, after a few days after he supposedly ended his life.

The family has doubts regarding these assertions on the basis that: Eugen weights over 80 kg and the laces would have not resisted; Eugen has no cut throat which normally would have appeared after spending a few days suspended by those laces; Eugen was a joyful guy and he never showed signs of pessimism or depression.

Other relatives informed us that Eugen’s mother is abroad and is expected for the burial ceremony. Initially, the family has announced that the burial will take place on Saturday in order for his mother to succeed to come. However, pressure is being exercised with the purpose to have the burial done on Friday, the reason invoked being the advanced stage of body’s decomposition.

There are no independent forensic medical experts In Moldova.

Source: Ziarul de Gardă

Sergiu Voloc disappeared

2009-04-16T23:19:00.003+03:00

[Română]

If you look, you won’t find
Better person than the one
Who’s the mayor of our region
And, we’ll vote for him for sure
For the many things he’s done:
We have gas in our houses,
He’s smart of a unusual sort,
We are living better times,
As he gave water and soap.

To all you: the mayor’s foes
Can’t you see or are you blind?
Today sympathy is winning, the more we become kind.

The irony is that the actor, Sergiu Voloc, disappeared 3 days ago and cannot be found. I personally saw him during the protests from April 6th and 7th walking in the main square. He didn’t do anything, he was just watching the events from the distance.

Source: Curaj.net

Police acts like NAZI

2009-04-16T23:09:00.005+03:00

Today,the 16th of april, we found out information about the 4th victim of the police slaughter. His name is Veaceaslav Brăguţă. His body was found two days ago, on a bench near the republican hospital. At this time there this is all the information that we have. What we can add is that there will be more bodies, since there have been anonimous reports from doctors that were called to check detainees about rooms filled with corpses of young men.

WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE IS A GENOCIDE, that the governement hides from the outsiders. Either the COMMUNISTS do their job well, OR the outsiders don’t care. Moldova thinks it’s the second one...

Girls naked and humiliated by police

2009-04-16T22:42:00.005+03:00

[Română]

Three girls were arrested on the night after April 7, brought to the police station. They were naked and forced to make sit-ups and to stand in different positions in front of a group of eight police men. The lawyer Lilia Prodan informed everyone who was present at the seminar dedicated to the protests last week, organized by several NGOs and where different representatives of judicial institutions participated.

She said that three of the four her clients, who were arrested after the demonstrations on April 7, were subject to maltreatment from the police representatives.

Prodan also said that the youngest of the prisoners are starting to be released today. "Tons of arrest warrants were issued last week, and today tons of young people are released. This too fast of a process" said the lawyer.

She also informed that among those arrested following the protests there was a candidate from a political party’s list. And according to the Electoral Code, he could not be arrested because immunity due to his status.

Cruelties to which young prisoners are subject as a result of the events of last week are very much like Guantanamo, said Evgheni Golosceapov, the executive director of Amnesty International. According to data held by this organization, about 160 young people had been subjected to maltreatment by the police. "They were beaten, weren’t even given water, food, weren’t allowed to go to the bathroom nor had they had access to lawyers," said Golosceapov, stressing that "torture is a crime and a terror of state against its citizens. "

Ion Manole, the organization Promo-Lex, said he has information according to which Moldovan students who were traveling to Romania where they are pursuing their studies, were detained and taken to police station, where they were subjected to maltreatment.

Responsible for public order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Peter Corduneanu present at the event, denied the information submitted by NGOs and lawyers, but gave assurance that any abuse of police will be sanctioned.

Source: Ştirea Zilei

Third Death

2009-04-16T22:18:00.007+03:00

[Română]

The body of a 26 year old young man, Eugen Tapu, who liked to play rugby, was brought to Soroca by the police in a closed coffin. They left the death certificate for his parents, without offering any comments and left.

Tomorrow, April 17, the lifeless body of Eugen Tapu will be buried. The family doesn’t know anything regarding the cause of death. According to Victor Sau, the mayor of Soroca, there is a link between Eugen Tapu’s death and the protest from April 7 because the police refuse to provide further explanations and the dates of his death and the protest’s day are the same.
After being contacted, Tatiana Tapu, Eugen’s sister said that: “He died 9 days ago and we don’t know anything about it.”

The Mayor of Soroca stated that the young body is in a condition of decay. "I called priests from Soroca and we will be tomorrow at the funeral. Nobody knows where he was found. Police did not provide any information. There is a link between the protest and the April 7 death of Eugen Tapu, because police refused to provide further explanations and date of death coincides with the date of meeting at the Parliament and the Presidency ", he said Victor Sau.

Just as a reminder, the press has written about two other young people who died after being maltreated by the police, after protests from Parliament and the Presidency.

Source: Unimedia

True Moldova:

This is the 3rd official victim. One thing is for sure: in all three cases there were attempts to cover the cases, but it didn’t work out. How many of those did they manage to do that though? There are over 1000 young people missing…

Photos: [Click to enlarge]

Anatol Mătăsaru behind bars: tortured to make false testimonials

2009-04-16T21:49:00.002+03:00

PEN Moldova statement

2009-04-16T14:25:00.003+03:00

The PEN center in the Moldova Republic, an affliliate of the World Writter’s Association based in London, vividly protests against de terror, violence and intimidation campaign set off by the communist government after the parliamentary elections from the 5th of april 2009.

The communist party has been promoting in the last 8 years, since its has been ruling in the Moldova Republic, a policy of brutal limitation of the human rights: it has suppressed the freedom of expression, has systematically teased the independent press, has underappreciated the independence of justice, has been sustaining measures of epuration based on political criteria of the public workers in the state administration, has been developing a hateful offensive against the national values of the Moldova Republic, by bringing back to life Stalinists concepts regarding the native language and ethnic origins of the Moldavian people.

The recent election campaign has been marked by numerous breakings of the law, this including a virulent campaign for denigrating the opposite democratic party and the usage of the administrative resources by the communist party, without all of these abuses being fought and punished by the ones technically abillitated to supervise and protect the obedience of the normal laws. With the purpose of trying to limit the chances to succeed in the elections fight of the opposite party, and to reduce their loss in the elections, the governing party has introduced a series of discriminating, antidemocratic changes in the election laws, has refused to open more voting sections abroad, which will have helped all the moldavian citizens that are working abroad – that’s about one million people, according to unofficial statements-, ignoring numerous internal steps and recommendations from the international associations regarding these facts.

The tensed situation in the society, after 8 years of imperative government from the communist party and president’s Vladimir voronin, has reached its climax during these last days, as a result of big suspicion regarding a massive fraud in the elections that took place on april the 5th, by the communists. Incapable of producing new arguments, or to talk to the political forces and the civil society, the actual government has chosen the hard way: a way of confrontations and political persecution, trying to distract the public opinion’s attention from the charges regarding the stolen elections. As to be read: as to detonate the peaceful protests of all the young people that took place on april 7th in a series of violent incidents and attempts to destroy buildings of the state – actions to which law enforcement did not know how to handle.

During this very moment, Moldova looks like a real police state: the police have arrested about 300 young men and women, students and highschool students, under the acuse of participating to non-govern protests. These young people, according to own statements and those of the witnesses, are being bedeviled and poorly judged in the police sections, without having the lowest of their rights respected. During these days the violence and reprisals have also recorded, unfortunately, a tragedy – the death of a 23 year old young man, death which occurred in suspicious surroundings which are to be brought to light. The law enforcement have brutalized independent mass media journalists, have intimidated and exiled many foreign press journalists who wanted to show the truth about post- election events in Moldova. The communist government has created, truly, an informational barrier: the web sites from the independent press are barely functioning, the national television post continues the task of not informing the people by offering only the point of view of the communist party, some international tv posts that showed interest in the events in Moldova have been banned. The protests on the 7th of april have served a good reason for the communist power to freeze relationships with Romania – a state member of UE and NATO -, of which they accused, without any proof, of complicity to a possible coup d’etat organized by the opposing parties. The Romanian ambassador in Chisinau has been exiled, and a new visa regime has been installed especially for Romanian citizens, by these actions breaking the agreemet that Moldova has made with UE. They have even forbidden access to Moldova for its citizens in Romania, stating that they could be potential enemies of the communist regime.

Regarding the major political crisis that has ruled the past few days, The Moldova PEN center insistently asks the actual power to cease the human rights breach: all those arrested under the reason of participation to the 6th and 7th of april protests are to be released; these people have the right to benefit of a fair and truthful trial.

The Moldova PEN center demands, along with other civic organizations, an international an impartial investigation which is to clarify the guilt and liability related to the acts of violence and vandalism that were registered on the 7th of april in Chisinau.

The Moldova PEN center invites all political forces to initiate a dialogue, a real communication, which allows the stopping of the actual state of confrontation and dissidence in the society.

The Moldova PEN Center demands the communist authorities to nullify the censorship and informational embargo which it has installed, to allow access to all political forces and the deputies of civil society to the state television and radio, and not to create obstacles in the activity of the mass media deputies from abroad.

The Moldova PEN center demands the Chisinau government the restoration of normal relations with Romania and to nullify the visa regime for Romanian citizens.

The Moldova PEN center asks the international community, UE and the United States, to support the legitimate claims of the Moldovan citizens regarding The Moldova Republic in the democratic and European arms of evolution, and not to allow the changing this state to a Russian and communist one.

Chisinau

The Truth Begins to Emerge

2009-04-16T13:36:00.004+03:00

The Western observers begin to condemn in media the communist frauds.

“You would think 400.000 dead people came to vote”, noticed one western observer who was sent to monitor the elections in the Republic of Moldova. The observer said that one of his Moldovan friends “discovered in the elections day that in his 28 square meters lived 5 people”, says Le figaro newspaper.

A group of citizens in Orhei obtained from the law court of the town the elections lists, which were used on the 5th of April. On those lists could be found the signatures of about 45 children with disabilities, interned in the local hospital. The signatures which “confirm” that they voted are almost identical.

Another European observer did not hesitate to say that what happened on Tuesday is similar to the arson of the Reichstag, in 1933″.

Officially, the OSCE said that the elections were held democratically, even if the campaign did not allow the opposition to express itself on national media. But even the National Statistics Office has information that can confirm the frauds at the elections: in two years, the people with the right to vote increased with 10%, although the birth rate is falling abruptly”, says Le Figaro.

Apart from this, the protests on Tuesday shows beyond a doubt: the agressors that vandalized the Presidency building and arsoned the Parliament were guided by other people, says Le Figaro. According to ex-deputy Igor Klipi, who was a witness, “the destruction of the Parliament took 8 hours, and the police did not move a finger to to anything”. While a part of the building was burning, the firemen were admiring the view with a smile on their lips”.

Source: Free Moldova

EU must take Moldovan unrest more seriously

2009-04-16T13:22:00.010+03:00

[Română]

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) will press for a debate on the situation in Moldova with statements from the European Commission and the Council of Ministers during the plenary session in Strasbourg next week. European Liberals and Democrats deplore the lack of EU reaction to the crackdown on opposition protests in the aftermath of the parliamentary elections and the continuing detention and maltreatment of hundreds of demonstrators.

"We run the risk that silence in Brussels on the disputed outcome of the Moldovan elections is interpreted either as ignorance of or acquiescence to the ongoing intimidation of opposition supporters" said ALDE Leader Graham Watson.
"The European Union must signal its engagement with Moldova's future stability and democratic development through its Eastern Partnership. The government in Chisinau must act swiftly to repair the damage to the credibility of the Moldovan political system caused by reports of vote rigging and human rights violations. Releasing the names of all detained protesters and allowing family members and lawyers access to the prison cells would be a first step in that direction".

Renate Weber MEP (PNL, Romania) said: "Gross human rights violations have been perpetrated in Moldova after the elections: personal security no longer exists, cruel, inhuman treatment and torture are widespread in police detention centers, Moldovan and foreign journalists are pursued and freedom of press is non existent. Moldovan citizens are also being denied the right to entry into their own country. As MEPs, speaking on behalf of our citizens, we must not tolerate such behaviour, nor should the EU."

ALDE MEPs Baroness Emma Nicholson (LibDems, UK) and Henrik Lax (Svenska Folkpartiet, Finland) were EU observers at the Moldovan parliamentary elections. Baroness Nicholson expressed her deep concerns about the fairness of the recent elections amid allegations of fraudulent voter registration and a state controlled media.

"The OSCE report was far too warm on the election," she said. "On the Transdnistrian border I saw grown men and women weeping as they had been refused by the local police to take a bus across the border to vote in Moldova. Some persisted and found other ways to travel only for them to be video-taped, have their papers taken off them and threatened with the loss of their jobs. One candidate told me she had lost 1,000 votes from people being refused access to Moldova."

"I am very concerned about the ongoing detention of large numbers of young Moldovans with no knowledge of who, how and where they are being held. I strongly regret the death of a second young man in police custody and call on the authorities to ensure their safe treatment and access to proper legal representation. "

Source: ALDE

Terror Police Tries to Cover Up

2009-04-16T12:55:00.004+03:00

Although hit in the head and backhead, has a broken ribb and is full of bruises, the law authorites say he died intoxicated by an unknown substance.

Valeriu Boboc, one of the detainees in the aftermath of the events on the 7th of April, died in the arrest of the police. The General Prosecution Office of the Republic of Moldova say he did not die by the torture of the policemen. According to them, his death followed after an intoxication with an unknown substance. Ala Boboc, the boy’s mother, does not believe his son died because of gas intoxication, as she was told when she went to take him from the morgue.

“He’s hurt at his head and backhead, has a broken ribb, it’s no accidental trauma. He was beaten to death. We’ll do all we can to find out how that was possible”, cries the young man’s mother. She last time talked to him on the phone in the evening of 7th April, between 6 and 7 in the evening, and he told her he was at the protest place, downtown the capital. Valeriu was a greengrocer in the Central Market, and after work, they went to the National Assembly Square.

“On Tuesday evening, he did not come home. We had heard that a person had deceased, we had a feeling that it could be Valeriu, me and my husband had heart aches. We could not contact him. We have only been informed on Friday, abiut his death..” she tells us crying. Vitctor, the boy’s father, works as a taxi driver. He tells us that, at about midnight of 7th April, he was in the proximity of the destroyed Parliament and Presidency buildings. “I heard screams, shootings. For three days we could not find Valeriu, I had a feeling he was not alive anymore”. According to the father, he had a deep wound in his temple. “One could see he was dragged by his elbows. He had many bruises on his hands, and body. The police told us he was found dead on the protests place”, adds Victor.

On the 5th of May, Valeriu would have been 24 years old. He left behind aggrieved parrents, his wife Natalia and a little boy, Dragos, aged one year and 8 months.

Source: Free Moldova

Protest violations of access to information rights and attacks on journalists following elections

2009-04-16T11:07:00.002+03:00

The following is joint action by 25 IFEX members and 10 other organisations:

Declaration of Media Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on the situation of the press:

The undersigned media NGOs express concern about the degradation of the media situation in Moldova following parliamentary elections on 5 April 2009. This included the violation of the right to access information of public interest, and harassment of journalists.

On Monday, 6 April, the day after parliamentary elections were held, protests erupted when the election results were announced amid claims from opposition parties that the poll had been rigged. Opposition leaders have backed the protests of thousands of people, saying the election result was fraudulent. They condemned the violence, but said the protests would continue. The peaceful protests have now turned into violent confrontations with police forces in many areas.

On 7 April, at least 19 foreign journalists who were trying to travel from Romania to Chisinau were stopped at the border crossings of Galati-Giurgiulesti and Cahul-Oancea, according to Romanian sources. Then on 8 April, a BBC journalist was prevented from entering Moldova. Moldovan customs officials provided varying reasons why the journalists were stopped at the borders, in some cases demanding special medical insurance and accreditation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (MAEIE) in Chisinau, although normally only a foreign passport is required to cross the border between Romania and Moldova. Moreover, Moldovan legislation stipulates that foreign journalists require accreditation only for access to official information, and only if they wish to be accredited as a permanent correspondent in Moldova.

On the evening of Wednesday, 8 April, several reporters from the investigative newspaper “Ziarul de Garda” were harassed by police officers. Journalists had their arms twisted, and police threatened to destroy their cameras. On the same day, Oleg Brega, a cameraman for the Internet-based Jurnal TV, was beaten by several people in plain clothes who seized two video cameras. Also that night, PRO TV Chisinau cameraman Constantin Rogodantiev was assaulted by police forces behind a government building.

Moreover, on 9 April, Facebook and the social networking website Odnoklassniki.ru became inaccessible to users in Moldova. Also on 8 April, the server of the unimedia.md information portal was attacked several times. Other online resources were inaccessible in Moldova during this period, while at least two broadcasters, Realitatea TV and TVR 1, stopped broadcasting on Moldovan territory. Thus, the public was deprived of important international sources of information.

In these circumstances, the signatory organisations protest vehemently against attacks on journalists by representatives of the law, and demand an immediate end to these abusive and illegal practices, as well as an investigation into these cases to bring to account those responsible for abuses against journalists.

Also, underlying the importance of observing the constitutional right of access to information of citizens through media, Internet and other available means, the signatory organisations call on Moldovan authorities to ensure media freedom under the obligations incumbent to Moldova as a member of the Council of Europe.

Signed,

ActiveWatch - Media Monitoring Agency, Romania
Adil Soz - International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech, Kazakhstan
Albanian Media Institute, Albania
Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), Egypt
ARTICLE 19, United Kingdom
Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Serbia
Association of Independent Press, Moldova
Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), Bahrain
Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI), Brazil
Broadcast Media Association, Moldova
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), Canada
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Centre for the Defence and Promotion of Press Freedom in Algeria (CALP), Algeria
Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ), Romania
Freedom House, United States
Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), Colombia
Independent Journalism Center (IJC), Moldova
Index on Censorship, United Kingdom
Institute for Press and Society (IPYS), Venezuela
Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS), Azerbaijan
Investigative Journalism Center, Croatia
Investigative Journalism Center, Moldova
Media Development Center, Bulgaria
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), Australia
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Namibia
Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
Media Watch, Bangladesh
Observatoire pour la liberte de presse d’edition et de creation (OLPEC), Tunisia
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF), Pakistan
Paraguayan Union of Journalists (SPP), Paraguay
Romanian Center for Investigative Journalism, Romania
Union of Journalists of Moldova
World Association of Newspapers, France
World Press Freedom Committee, United States
Young Journalist Center of Moldova

April 14, 2009

The reveolution in Moldova

2009-04-15T22:42:00.004+03:00

After one week from the parliamentarian elections, the oposition leaders that wan the elections, Liberal Party, Liberal Democrat Party and Our Moldova Alliance, organised a protest against communist terror. These parties opted for the eliberation of unguilty students, beatten by police officers and being blamed for the violent actions, elimination of new visa regyme between Moldova and Romania (EU), the access to voters lists and organization of repeated elections.

Immediately after elections, thousands of young people protested the results of elections in front of the Presidency and the Parliament. For the Communist Party, about 50% of the population voted and only three oposition parties entered the parliament. This was a peceful protest, organised by civil society, Hyde Park and Think Moldova, supported by a journalist, Natalia Morar, expelled from the Russian Federation.

The next day, on April 7th, a group of 100 young people devastated the Presidency and Parliament. The Communist Party missuses the public TV to desinform citizens that these violent actions had been organised by the oposition.

The oposition political leaders denied that they could be the authors of the scenarium and blamed the communists for the diabolic plan of state overturn, for which the young people were used.

During the protstes of April 12th, the provocations from the Communist Party continued. A red bus tried to pass over the protestants, even if the roads were closed. Then, a lady went on front scene and sccused the oposition that her son was arrested. When the tention got seldom, she yelled that Iurie Rosca is the authentic leader. (Leader of Christian Democrat Party).

The Moldovan citizens will only know the frauds after Easter. The ballots started to be recounted and the access to the voters lists have not been facilitated by the Central Electoral Commission, under a decision taken by the Court of Apeal.

Source : Natalia Ghilaşcu

Shocking evidence about Voronin's regime of horror

2009-04-15T21:13:00.009+03:00

Terror continues

2009-04-15T20:33:00.006+03:00

[Română]

Radu Lungu from Chişinău was arrested today for the second time after he was released and was getting I.V. (intravenous medication) because of the beatings he had gotten earlier in the week.
Radu’s lawyer told us that he was detained on 7 April and taken by the police to the Parliament’s garage, where he was cruelly beaten along with other young people. In about 2 hours he was transferred with a Mercedes to the police station in Buiucani, where he had his hands tied up with the belt of his own pants and kneeled down for several hours.
Radu said that he was beaten less than the others, because "I didn’t have a drawn flag on my cheek” and those who had a drawn flag were beaten until you can no longer see any trace of design.
During the night he was forced to sign some documents which he didn’t read, and in the morning he was allowed to leave, but they took away his ID as well as all the money he had- 50 lei.
As he got home, he felt sick because of beatings and was consulted by a doctor, who indicated perfusion daily.
Today, the Buiucani Prosecutor called him and asked him to come for a discussion. Radu asked if it is a summons and was told that "phone call is like a summons". He went to the station and was detained for 72 hours, being transferred to the General Police Station.
Radu’s lawyer said that he was not able today to get the needed medical assistance and can not possibly be get tomorrow either.
«The outrageous actions has gone beyond human understanding, human rights are violated like crazy, that’s why we will go to court with each particular case till the end," argues lawyer Victor Panţâru.

Source: Ziarul de Gardă

Forbidden access to the young people tortured by the police

2009-04-15T20:20:00.003+03:00

[Română]

According to the law three authorities have the right to enter in the police sectors, in case of torture signals: lawyers of the tortured people, parliamentary lawyers and members of the Consultative Council of the Mechanism of Torture Prevention (CCMPT). Many of the young people don’t have access, the director of the parliamentary lawyers don’t offer any information (he declared that he has a contract with “Antena C”), and the members of CCMPT sustain that the police prohibits their access, which is against the law.

Vanu Jereghi, CCMPT Vice President declared today for The Guard Journal that he had interdiction in 5 police sectors from Chişinău, including to the Police Commissariat for seeing the torture victims. “Although I was invoking the law statements, police men told us that there is an order from above to not be allowed inside, eventually only accompanied by a civil servant responsible with public opinion sampling, but this fact is illegal” sustains Jereghi.

He declares that the unique institution where the CCMPT members have been allowed is Penitentiary no. 13, but problems appeared there as well. “We’ve been told that those that have made possible our access there will be punished. You see, in Moldova everything is reversed. Those that infringed the law and didn’t allow us to enter the police sectors won’t be punished, but those that respected the law and allowed us to enter and see dozens of cases of torture” says Jereghi.

Representatives of the civil society, such as CREDO and Amnesty International confirmed that the CCMPT members’ access to the police sections was stopped. The NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) for Human Rights from Moldova declared that they will inform right away the international community about these abuses.

Source: Ziarul de Gardă

The CE (European Council) General Manager will arrive immediately in Chişinău

2009-04-15T20:11:00.004+03:00

[Română]

The General Secretary of the European Council issued a press release today declaring that he is very concerned about the detention of an important number of people after the last week protests. For this reason it disposes the immediate arrival of the CE General Manager for Democracy in Chişinău.

«During the last couple of days I’ve received very controversial news from Chişinău. In one hand, I’m encouraged by the proposals to verify the election lists and to count the votes. This should help to calm down the post-election controversies.

On the other hand, I’m very concerned about the human right infringement by arbitrary detention of a significant number of people, including children and by mass-media restrictions.

Based on these signals, I’ve asked Jean-Louis Laurens, General Manager for Democracy and Political Problems of the European Council to immediately depart for Chişinău and to prepare a report regarding this country situation.”

Source: Ziarul de Gardă

German Deputies Point the Finger to Voronin

2009-04-15T20:07:00.001+03:00

“Voronin is directly responsible for the situation in Moldova”, declare the German deputies.

“His speeches on the evening prior to the elections, in which he stated that within the absolute communist majority foreseen to be built, any discussion with the democratic opposition would be usless, led to the last drop. The opposition parties got major obstacles during the election campaign and before it, being blocked their access to the public media, and their leaders were flooded with accusations by the law courts”, states one declaration of the social-democrats in German Bundenstag (Parliament).

The MP’s also ask for the immediate guarantee of the freedom of the press, and a detailed and fair report regarding the events during last days in Chisinau. “The problem of the recounting of the votes or of possible repeated elections must be openly examined. Apart from this, it is necessary to drop the charges on the opposition, according to which they would be servants of neighbour states and would have planned a coup d’etat”, the same statement highlights.

“All the actions against the European Union, as the introduction of the visas for the EU citizens from Romania, the expelling of the Romanian ambassador, do not lead to the de-escalation of the situation, but rather come in direct contradiction to the official statements of European integration of Moldova”, also state the German deputies.

Second Communist Murder in Moldova of the 21st Century

2009-04-15T19:41:00.006+03:00

[Română]

The mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca, said Tuesday that he has received confirmation of the second death after violent actions towards protesters done by the communist authorities.

Dorin Chirtoaca says that the victim is Tibuleac Ion, a young village Bolohani, Orhei district, suffered several injuries - broken ribs, internal bleeding, and broken leg. "You can notice bruises on the head and face. He had already been buried because the family did not publish this information immediately. We will try to find new information and relatively more about this case," Dorin Chirtoaca provided.

According to the mayor, the family says he "was thrown like a dog" under the steps of Emergency Hospital in Chisinau, and they weren’t allowed to enter in the morgue. The family was notified that the supposed reason of death was electrocution: "The family is in shock. On April 7, the guy went to Chisinau with another friend and didn’t return. Some of his acquaintances said that that say they saw scenes on TV with Ion along with other protesters, "said Dorin Chirtoaca.

The mayor of Chisinau argues that, unfortunately, in Moldova cases of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment in places of detention, arrested people continue to happen. "Unfortunately, up to date we have not seen an adequate international response - except one person, a representative of the United Nations for Human Rights, who came in one prison, nobody else in international bodies attempted to document directly. We haven’t even seen people from the international community or the Committee for the Prevention of Torture here in Chisinau, who would go to the stations and stop the terror, "stated Dorin Chirtoaca.

Jurnal de Chisinau wrote Tuesday that on the night of April 7, following the events of the capital, the body of a young man was thrown from a car of the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs in the courtyard of the Emergency Hospital in Chisinau. The victim had broken ribs, deep wounds in the head and a fractured leg. According to witnesses, the lifeless body of a young 22 years was thrown from a white car; brand Niva, the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The next day, parents and Tatiana Semion Tibuleac received news from doctors at the Emergency Hospital that their son had died electrocuted. They were asked to come to the hospital morgue with clothing for the deceased.

According to Semion Tibuleac, Ion’s father, the parents weren’t allowed to see their son. They saw the body after it was dressed. "One of the workers told me that he was brought by a Niva car, white, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and was thrown into the yard of the Emergency Hospital. He was wearing only his pants and a T-shirt. We weren’t allowed to see the clothes that he wore before. I found that he had a broken leg, and broken ribs. He had deep wounds in the temples "the boy said his father.”Our boy did not have any documents on him. First we were told that they have found him in the street. If he had been found like that, incidentally, in the street, may I ask how did they manage to find out who he was and where he was from on second day and got in touch with us to let us know that he is dead,” said Tatiana, Ion’s Mother.

Ion was buried Saturday, April 11. Parents have not consulted a lawyer, but say they want to know the truth about their son’s death.

Source: Realitatea.net

US Ambassador Chaudhry Wakes Up to Reality

2009-04-15T19:30:00.005+03:00

After having bowed obediently at Voronin’s feet on Friday, US ambassador at Chisinau finally takes a stand towards the situation in Moldova. Mr. Asif Chaudhry has criticized Saturday the arrests on Moldovan journalists and students after the protests which took place during the last days in the Moldovan capital, in an interview given to the press agency Infotag.

“We have received direct complaints from the journalists who were subjected to intimidation. We have seen tv footages showing that journalists and students were agressed”, stated the American ambassador.

“We are deeply concerned about retaining journalists and students, which was done without any founded reasons; we are also concerned about the pressure done on teachers to stop students from going to demonstrations. Such cases, as intimidating journalists or any other citizens, must not take place in a democracy”, added the ambassador.

A much tougher stand took the Romanian - American community in the US, who decided to send a complaint to the State Department.

“As American citizens of Romanian origin, we are deeply concerned about the actions the secret police took against the population in the Republic of Moldova, after the demonstrations against the communist regime, which frauded the elections recently ended.

Hundreds of people were arrested and beaten, young women abused, local reporters deprived of liberty, and their Romanian colleagues detained and expelled over the border without any notice, motivations and against the international law of press.

The Romanian ambassador, a country which is an important ally of the US in the region and an important NATO member, was also expelled on false charges of his country’s implication to instigation of the population to demonstrations and rebellion.

In spite of these facts, the Ambassador of the US in Moldova congratulated president Vladimir Voronin for the so-called “adequate reaction” to the events, without taking a strong and clear stand, as a representative of the American people as owner of a real democracy, both towards the violation of the human rights to free speech and peaceful demonstration and to the terror enstated after the rebellion ended.

Also, Mr. ambassador Asif J. Chaudry had no reaction about the expelling of his colleague, the ambassador of Romania in Moldova.

We, as citizens of the United States, we are shocked by the stand that the American official took and we consider that it caused prejudices to our credibility in the region. Consequently, we ask for his removal from his position, or to be recalled back home to the State Department of the United States.

The United States must take in this situation a strong stand in supporting Romania, its important ally, in a moment when this country is target of false charges expressed by the last communist regime in the region, the one in Chisinau, hostile to democracy and real freedom.

The United States, as real guaranteer of democracy, must condemn the provocations, harms, torture, arrests of the young and other people in the Republic of Moldova, who exercised their basic right to demonstrate freely. The arrested people must immediately be released.

Any action of our country will show that America does not agree with the abuse of a nation by a out-of-date communist regime which can destabilize the region, with serious consequences in Europe”.

The Romanian - American Community

11th April 2209

The Moldovan Court decides: AMERICANS to be expelled out of country

2009-04-15T19:00:00.007+03:00

[Română]

The court decided today, April 15, the expulsion of Alex Grigorievs - the Director of National Democratic Institute from Chisinau. The reason cited to is the illegal stay of American in Moldova. Attorney NDI director, Constantin Tănase, said he will appeal the court decision.

Just as a reminder, yesterday, April 14, Grigorievs was arrested and taken to MIA, where it was announced that the residence permit in the Republic of Moldova is expired.

Another reminder: Grigorievs’ the stay permit in Moldova expired in September 2008, and the U.S. official filed an application for extension of the permit in August 2008, and authorities have offered no answer at this time.

Currently there is no official reaction to the National Democratic Institute in the U.S. over this case.

Source: Unimedia

Mass arrests at the Medical School in Chisinau

2009-04-15T17:52:00.006+03:00

[Română]

Distinguished editors:

You are the last ones that the students still have trust. I don't know the situation of other students but the students at the University of Medicine are living in true terror. There are waves of arrests every day. Every day 12-15 of us are being taken away.

Yesterday it happened right under my eyes and of other colleagues - a cop with accompanied by 15 masked riot police, flashed some orders from some institution - from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the dean. He had pictures of colleagues some of whom weren't even in the square because we were all in class, and just took them away. In evenings, at the Malina Mica student residence hall, things are even worse - in front of the dorms usually there is a police van and they even do raids assisted by the Dean. Our only refuge is the library where we arrived relieved every day when we manage not to get arrested in the frequent raids - we stay here because we are afraid to go to our dorm rooms, but I heard that tonight they will also come here. More – it's being said that with the Easter holidays they will come to take us from our homes, from our parents’ places. We are very scared, not knowing what to do. We put together a committee of several people and wanted to go out in public to declare what is happening in our university, but we have been betrayed by the Dean himself and the Heads of the Departments together with the Rector. Two people from the committee have disappeared; we suspect they have been taken off the streets because we have not seen them anymore. We are afraid to tell anyone about this, because we might be betrayed, we are afraid to go alone on the street because you might be arrested and nobody would know what happened to us, we are afraid to go in pairs or three because we would then be suspected of plotting and be arrested, afraid to talk about what is happening because in one of the groups a teacher discussed on Monday with the students about the arrests and the next day they were arrested. We feel that those arrested feel less terror than us, the ones who never know what will happen to us next.

There are also lots expels without reason; they say that by the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Since when the MIA gives orders to expel students who were successful in their studies, never missed classes, didn’t participate at protests, but just happened to pass by the square because the public transport sometimes does not run on bd. Stefan Cel Mare and they had to walk through Main Square?

This happens here.
We cannot live with the terror.
Please help us!

Medical School Student

Victims of the Government

2009-04-15T17:47:00.005+03:00

On the 12th of april Valeriu Boboc, the first victim of the police slaughter taking place in Moldova, was buried. How many more innocent protesters will follow?

The events that followed the protests on the 6th,7th and 8th of april continue to shock Moldova:
officially there are 200 hundred people arrested, while press sources say the real number of detainees has grown to 800.None of these people is guilty of what they are accused-the devastation of President’s Hall and Parliament’s House, which, in fact, was done by violent provokers, some of them prisoners and policemen, controlled and guided by puppets of the Communist party. The majority of the arrested people are between 18 and 23 years old.
While each one of them is literally slaughtered beginning with the street where they get caught on by officers dressed in plain clothes, and continuing with the police commissariats, the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs says that prisoners’ rights are respected.
Besides this, there is a great list of people reported missing since last Tuesday. “Nobody knows where they are. We are directed from one commissariat to another ,but we get no aswers!” say parents, whose panic and tears don’t disturb the authorities.
The only reason why these young men and women get arrested is for being seen in pictures and videos taken at the protest, for having passed near the government building or for having spoken: ”Down with the communists!”! Until this day the mass-media was constantly receiving reports concerning the abuse of power by the policemen. And they will continue to come, even if those who were arrested were threatened to remain silent. Valeriu Boboc, a young men of 23, was the first victim of the inhuman treatment of those meant to protect him. Althought the injuries are a proof of a violent death, the police says that it happened because of the intoxication with an unknown gas. ”The multiple body injuries were considered scratches by the prosecutor.” says the lawyer. Valeriu was married and had a one and a half years old son, for whom he meant the world. “We’ve been searching for him, going from one commissariat to another. They announced us Friday,april 10th, when he was dead for three days already. He has a fatal injury on hid forehead. Is this the result of the intoxication? It’s pure murder!” says the grandfather of the victim.
Meanwhile, there are new cases of brutality manifested by policemen, that the authorities deny. Damian Hancu, a law student from the University of Lyon, who came home to vote, was arrested because during the protest, he was helping several journalists from Sweden. “They threw me to the ground and started hiting my head, my back, my hands. They were beating me with legs, too. I thought I wouldn’t survive after such a torture.” The outcome of the brutality is a commotion, fractured fingers and numerous bruises. Damian was forced to sign papers stating that he was a provoker and that he was paid to participate in the protests.
Police proves its inhuman ways to treat the detainees by another horrible fact: some young women were abused sexually. This was the result of the refuse to cooperate with the law forces. One of medical workers, who examined some of the detainees confirmed it. In the same time, two reporters of “Ziarul de Garda” were threatened with sexual abuse by the representatives of the police during an incident that took place on the 8 of april, near the House of the Government. Although the authorities claim that there were no women arrested, several students told the press that they were beaten along with men and abused verbally. ”They told us that police does its job well and we shouldn’t forget this.” said a young woman, who was arrested with her friends in front of the President’s hall, the night of the violent protest. Police authorities continued to arrest people after april 7th,too, explaining it by having video proofs of their the participation in the violent acts.Thus, 6 students from an university were literally kidnapped by unknown plain-clothed people during their lunch break. “Ziarul de Garda”, mentioned earlier, has numerous photos and videos of plain-clothed men running after, beating and arresting by-passers!

There are families who,to this day, don’t know were they sons and daughters are. According to several sources, many detainees were sent to other cities because of the lack of space in the prisons in Chisinau. Edwin Berry, the representative of UN in Moldova, visited a penitentiary with some of the protestants recently and was shocked by what he was told. The majority of them said that before the penitentiary, they were held in groups of 25 to 28 people in cells of 8 square metres, with limited acces to water, sanitary facilities and no food for two days.
But this is not all! Journalists are also targets for the authorities! Oleg Brega, operator for Journal TV, was cruely beaten by several plain-clothed men, who also sequestered his camera. The reporters of another publication-“Ziarul de Garda”-were threatened by police, as well. The violation of the freedom of press extends to journalists from other countries,too. Dorin Dendiu, a reporter of the Romanian channel TVR, was accused of infringement of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova.”I want to specify that throughout the period of my stay in Moldova I haven’t done anything considered as a violation of this country’s laws, except a time when I ignored the red light and drove on.” At a conversation that he had with two officers, Dorin Dendiu was told to leave Moldova as soon as possible. “They didn’t let me announce the Romanian Embassy about the conversation, nor have they given me the possibility to contact my lawyer. It was a discussion against my will.”
This article can extend to tens of pages if I include all the violations of the human rights, that are taking place right now in our small country. All that is done against us, the people of Moldova, has an evil script writer-the communist party, who tries to still our Romanian identity, our rights and freedoms and our future. The only way to stop the injustices in Moldova is to be supported and helped by the whole world. What are you then waiting for?

The Ministry of Internal Affairs asks NDI chief, USAID worker expulsion

2009-04-14T21:27:00.008+03:00

[Română]

Today, the NDI Chief (National Democratic Institute), Alex Grigorievs, was escorted to the MAI (Ministry of Internal Affairs) Migration Office headquarter by the interior collaborators where he was accused of illegal stay in Moldova. Tomorrow at the Center Judge’s Office this foreign official expulsion will be decided.

According to the NDI chief lawyer, Costel Tănase, Grigorievs was escorted today at MAI for being accused of illegal stay in Republic Moldova. Alex Grigorievs is present in Moldova since 2004. In September 2008 his stay permit was going to expire, but in august he submitted the documents for prolonging his stay permit in Moldova. “Since then, from august 2008, he was told that his documents were going to be ready soon and that he will receive them soon. In all this time, he asked over and over again when he can take his document, but he wasn’t told that he will never receive them. He discussed even with Stratan, but today he is accused of illegal stay in Moldova” says the lawyer Tănase.

Today Grigorievs went from MAI to the Center Judge’s Office where he was informed that tomorrow, at 4:15 pm a process will take place for deciding if he will be expelled or not and if he will pay a fine and the amount.

Source: Ziarul de Gardă

A Successful Hocus-Pocus

2009-04-14T18:51:00.011+03:00

[Română]

The facts I am going to present below are the results of a whole week of monitoring the events that took place on April 6-7, 2009. Even thought some parts of the puzzle are missing, the image is quite clear, and can be seen by everyone.
I shall begin with this picture… A car, Jiguli 21:07, that has more than 20 years, came in the front of the Presidency Building, got into the crowd, among the thousands of protestants, though the residence of EUTV is 300 meters away from the building…Why is that? We are going to find it out below.

Further, another picture, a picture you have seen on this blog before…The marked person is Ion Duminica, a front-rank person in PPCD, under the 26 number on the Party list. What is Duminica holding in his right hand? A police buckler…

Let’s go further on. This time I’ll make a call to a video clip. The 26th second is the most relevant one, this is the second we see the same Ion Duminica, that is in the front line among the destroyers.

Now I am going to refer to the video material that stood at the origins, the video material without which probably I wouldn’t spent my nights writing this. The well-known material of Jurnaltv – “Who is the person in the image?”. But I want to point not only one of them, but 3.
Beside the “Man in Yellow”, pay attention to the minute 2.18 (have you seen him some where else?). I bet you did!
There is also the “Man in Grey Jacket”, you can find him at the minute 2:39. This one is giving the same indications as the “Yellow man”: ”we are not against you, we are against communists”! Really?

Further, let’s analyze another picture, a very relevant one. The main hero is the “Man in Grey”, who is by the way, an ex member of PPCD… His name is Andrei Plop. Where do I know so many details about him?
Check this video!

So, in this picture, Mr. Plop is reporting via a walkie-talkie.

I think the script is becoming clear for all of you, but let’s add a piece in the puzzle. It refers to the video report from EUTV. Via this, Iurie Rosca tries to prove that the two guys who put the EU flag on the Parliament building and on the Presidency Building, are just two well intentioned young persons, who did what they did in order “to calm down the spirits”….
Indeed, Iurii Ivanovici!? Did you thing we would believe? From the very begging the declarations made by the two persons arise serious doubts.
Because it is difficult to believe that a 17 years person cares about “calming the spirits”. Also their serenity of speaking arise big doubts, they are calm, even they are at MAI. Just pay attention to how easy they speak, it’s like singing, and when they forget something, they are helped by the “teacher”….

Let’s use one more photo. Whom we see on it? Is it Dragos Musteata?
Yes, it is, just he looks different, longer hair. Why did Mr Musteata cut his hair so fast? Does he want to hide? Ok, agree, the way a person looks is not the most important detail. Please look at the Mr.
Musteata’s face, the one full of peaceful initiatives, polished by his brilliant intelligence. Doesn’t he look like an employee who is obedient and is listening to the indications of his boss. Pay attention to his humble look and to the look of his boss, who stays on his left side, giving orders…

Further a new video...an extremely important one. What do we see there? A guy dressed in red, carrying a rucksack, that is breaking one of the parliament doors. “What a brute!” will you say with anger! Poor Galatchi and Musteata, they are trying to calm down the spirits, but the brute in red is vandalizing the parliament. Even more, on the 20th second, he is approaching two persons and makes an exchange of documents. Is it the map of the Parliament Building? After this, the second one is coming closer, both receive precious indications, and they continue to vandalize. Who is the brute in red?
Oh, we can see it at the 44th second. This is our pacificator, the one who wanted to calm down the spirits, his name is Ion Galatchi! Is the second one Musteata? Maybe…

So, what are the conclusions dear friends? There are 5 guys, one car and a television!
Ion Galatchi, who is dressed in red or in yellow, who calms down the spirits or breaks the doors, who carries a little black rucksack or a big, grey one. Also, there is another guy, Dragos Musteata, an intelligent guy, who polishes the ideas, but who is humble when receiving orders. Musteata is the one who on Tuesday had a haircut, and on Saturday, another one.

Let’s not forget Mr. Andrei Plop, a former member of PPCD, who is “not against you, but against communists”. How can he be against you when he is one of yours, and communicates with you via a walkie-talkie? Also, in the image there is Ion Duminica, the president of the Christian-democratic gypsies. The one with a police buckler, standing in the first lines.

The 5th guy is the one from the video clip number 2. At the minute 2:18. It seems he resembles somebody, doesn’t he? Let’s leave some place for the mystery here…

We also have a car, Jiguli 2107, from ’88, that belongs to EUTV. That cursed television and hated by everyone, EUTV, the television that attacked the opposition during the whole electoral campaign. What was that car dong there, taking into consideration the fact that the office of this television is 300 meters away from the Presidency Building. There were tens of journalists, and none of them came with a car.

Ok, I’ll tell what that car was doing there. It came there to instigate the spirits. To madden the protestants. The protestants that took on the provocation, like a bull when seeing the red color (the behavior is logic) and in a moment they turned upside down Rosca’s car. Anyway that car did not worth more that 1000 Euros, and even if it were completely destroyed, the damages wouldn’t be too big. Please, do not forget hat EUTV is provided with cars and buses that cost thousands of Euros, but…those cars did not came….

Two more things to say about EUTV:

The first one is the TV show “Epicentru”, on Monday evening, the show that presented the candles meeting with a unique objectivity on Rosca’s television. At the end of that talk-show, Praporsic even remembered the youth that the next morning there will be a protest meeting.
The second one is that on the 8 of April, EUTV did not broadcast at all, even Praporsic promised at the end of the Monday show, that on the next day, at 21.30, his quest shall be Iurie Rosca. Why EUTV did not broadcast at all?

These where the pieces of our puzzle. If you understood something, it means I did not work in vain for a whole week, collecting the details.
P.S. : I do not incriminate anyone; these are just doubts, followed by big interrogation marks!!

Update:
I am writing this text because I want to set light on several things. I am neither an inquirer nor a detective, am not at least journalist who is making investigations. I am a young person who is fed up with all the manipulations and misinformation that we are obliged to live, day by day. I am fed up with Nit, N4, Omega, Moldova1 or EUTV. These televisions are only concerned with misinforming and brainwash.

The article “A Successful Hocus-Pocus” arose controversies among the readers. Even a great majority agreed with me, I received some notifications that the guy in yellow and the one in red are different persons. Ok, I did not deny this for a single moment, that’s why I even inserted a post scriptum to that article, in which I said I do not incriminate no one.

I just one to set light on some facts that are extremely confusing:
1. Why neither the name of Ion Ghilatchi, nor the name of Dragos Musteata, do not appear on the lists with arrested persons.
2. Why the MIA (Ministry of Internal Affairs) did not ensure equal rights for all the arrested persons? I saw some of them that were giving amazing testimonies, all the body covered by bruises ad traumas, while our heroes flt no stress, and one of them even wearing sunglasses. Not only Musteata and Ghilatchi were worthy of such a treatment, but also the other arrested persons, imprisoned in 6 square meters rooms, in each room about 20 persons.
3. How did Mr/ Musteata manage to change his haircut so quickly? This is a phrase from a comment “You noticed it correctly that Dragos had a haircut meanwhile. When he managed to do it? Where? Under arrest? Why? Was his hair causing discomfort? Additionally, it is known that the arrested persons were taken all the personal things. Why then Dragos, being under arrest, still has his sunglasses, and more than this, while interrogated by MIA , is wearing them, exactly like on 7th of April.
4. What were doing among the protestants Ion Duminica and Vlad Cubreacov, taking into consideration the fact that Rosca swear that no one from his party was there. It was proved that Rosca’s oath is worthless, and the leader of PPCD is as dumb as a fish.
5. If the guy in red is not Ghilatchi, than who is he? Maybe now, he is in a prison, beaten up? Or maybe he is a free and is feeling ok, even it is clearly seen he deserves a surcharge for vandalizing. Not beaten, but surcharged.
6. Why the Prosecutors’ does not come up with daily reports, to communicate where the prisoners are, how do they feel, are they beaten or maybe they are giving testimonies wearing sunglasses??

There are also a lot of confusing things, which me and you, dear readers, want to clear up. We want to find out who are the guilty persons, responsible for he events that took place on April the 7th!
Who is going to help us?

Update:

The loop is getting tight
As I tried in the previous article to prove that PPCD has an important role in the events that happened on 6 and 7 of April, here appeared another proof, that makes us believe more and more that Mr. Rosca is behind of the so called “PUCI”.
Want to say a big “thank you” to those who are helping me with proofs.

Source: analizemd.blogspot.com

The interview of one of the young people detained by the police and secret services

2009-04-14T17:47:00.007+03:00

[Română]

On April, 12 my family and I went to the catholic church as we do every Sunday. At a certain moment during the ministry 2 groups of filming have entered the building, one of which was EUTV.

After filming for about 15 min they briskly walked out. The team from EUTV was back in the building after a few minutes and suddenly, their operator has fixed the camera on me, for about 5 min. This seemed suspicious to my relatives and me. After the service we started to walk home altogether as a family. At the Presidential building’s corner a white car stopped and a few well built men have come out of it. One of them asked me if I speak Romanian and if I am from Romania. I told them I was local so they asked for my ID. Unfortunately I didn’t have one, so they forced me to get into the car, saying they will beat my entire family otherwise.
They have taken me to the Center Against Organized Crime and Corruption . From what I have seen, this is the structure that was involved in catching the innocent people in the streets. The collaborators have started to curse me, threaten me with torture and yelling that I am not a patriot, rather a traitor. From their words I understood that the trigger for the arrest was the “Basarabia Pamint Romanesc”(“Basarabia Romanian Land”) t-shirt I was wearing on that day.
They have forced me to watch the videos from the protest. In one of them I was behid the parliament building screaming ”Jos armata lui Papuc” (“Down go Papuc’s army”, Papuc being the Minister of Internal Affairs). The collaborators after seeing this sequence have started beating me and screaming, how did I dare to mention the minister’s name? and why do I raise my hand like a fascist. I tried to explain that it was a “v” sign for victory, but they didn’t want to listen, calling me a fascist further on. One of them tried to force me to confess that I was one of the leaders of the group of protesters. I kept saying I wasn’t. Then just to find a reason to detain me, they have incriminated that I resisted the arrest, which was also not true. They didn’t grant me a lawyer although I had the right to have one.
After the interagation I was taken to Buiucani sector police department where I was threatened again to be beaten to death. I was told that I will be under trial on Monday on administrative art 176 and put into cell.
In the same cell there were 2 more young men who were arrested during the protests. One was there because he has taken a radio from one of the buildings and the other one only because he was an active participant in all anti-communist movements. Surprisingly it was the latter who was beaten savagely several times. There was particularly one guy who came often and just seemed to release his negative energy on the poor fellow. They have forced him to falsely confess that he was paid by V. Filat one of the opposition leaders to participate in the protests. The other guy told me that in the prisons there are about 1000 protesters.
I have seen 2 girls as well, they were beaten even worse than the men, with the policemen’s shields and legs. The policemen forced them to hold the shields in their hands and then 6 persons kicked the shield at once. None of the prisoners was allowed to call their parents or given medical health.
Each night 12-15 people were taken to Taraclia, a small town outside Chisinau, well known for the cruelty of its police.
After merely surviving this night I was taken to trial on Monday. Luckily the judge found me innocent and I was released. This nightmare was over but for over 1000 young men it is only the beginning.

Source: Curaj.net

Steaven Seagal condemnes the communist regime's tortures and claims Stati is innocent

2009-04-14T16:12:00.005+03:00

The police continuously stop teenagers on the streets of Chisinau

2009-04-14T15:23:00.009+03:00

[Română]

A couple of people signal us that during the last couple of days police patrols are stopping teenagers on the streets.

Today, on the Dacia Boulevard (Blvd. Dacia) from Botanica quarter, Chisinau, around the Budapest shop a police patrol stopped a group of children that were going to school. The police men asked each one of them where they are going, who they are and other details. The children were under 14 years old and they were not accompanied by an adult, while the law doesn’t allow interrogating children in the absence of a lawyer, tutor or parents.

In the same way, yesterday, on the Stephen the Great Boulevard (Blvd. Ştefan cel Mare), next to the Fashion Center (Centrul de Modă), a police patrol stopped a group of children, aged in between 12 to 14 years old, asked them to open their bags and verified their diary and other personal stuff.

The Interior Ministry didn’t offer any comments about this fact, declaring that the board of the Press Office is having lunch.

Source: Ziarul de Gardă

I have seen doctors in the Penitentiary, but the prisoners say they do not receive all appropriate medical assistance

2009-04-14T15:07:00.004+03:00

Edwin Berry, Human Rights Adviser to the UN in Moldova, on mass arrests in Moldova

Edwin Berry, Human Rights Adviser to the UN in Moldova has managed to visit the prison nr.13 (in Chsinau??) on Saturday and talk to at least 40 of the young people arrested during the protests. «I have never seen anything like this», said Berry.

UN adviser claims he has seen at least 40 youngsters who are detained in various cells. «They all have traces of beatings and injuries,» Berry said, adding that practically all the prisoners are aged between 18 and 24.

The prisoners complained they were beaten in the different police sections or at the headquarters of the Commissioner General of Police. They claimed that between 25 and 28 people were held in small cells of 8 square meters. They were given very little water, and virtually no food. Also, most of them complained about the fact that they were not allowed to see a lawyer.

«I have seen doctors in the Penitentiary, but the prisoners say they do not receive all appropriate medical assistance», said the UN representative.

He told the press that he had taken photographs of the signs of torture which these young people bear on their bodies. He also requested to set up a meeting with the Moldovan Ministry of Interior Affairs. Also, the data that he collected during his visit will be used to document the cases and to inform the international community about what is happening.

«From what I saw and heard from those 40 young people, I can say that there are serious human rights violations, namely the practices of inhuman and degrading treatment and preventing the right to legal advice, fair court proceedings and appropriate conditions of detention, «said the UN official.

Berry believes it is important there is the «Committee for complaints» in Moldova, which made it possible for him to visit the prison.

Witnesses talk about the dead guy

2009-04-14T13:56:00.003+03:00

[Română]

Tonight, about an hour ago, I received the following things that have to deal with the death of the young man who was declared dead as a result of the protests from April 7th.I have to mention for the pathetic people from the Social Security Information not to bother with the IP address, I am from Romania and you can bite your hands because of that. So:

Declaration of the witness from the night of 7th to 8th April, at 12:50-1:05AM:
So that young man died as a result of the intervention of the special agents from Moldovan KGB at 1AM. I know the exact hour because I was a witness of all the events that were happening at that time.
A group of young people, about 30, were going to the National Square, towards the cursed booth where they sell newspapers, rechargeable cards, that is located right at the intersection of Puskin Street and Stefan Cel Mare. That was around 12:50AM. As, this group started taking down the booth across from it there around 10-12agents, you could easily notice them who were talking on their cellphones (it was 12:55am and a group of people I were on Stefan Cel Mare blvd. by McDonald’s.)
At one moment the group of agents started attacking everyone with electrical shocks and beating them up with their feet in their heads (you could also hear shot guns), some of them were thrown in cars, one of them was a Mercedes Vito, grey color (taxi looking), other cars had their windows dark grey.
After approximately 5 minutes, I noticed how 50 policemen and some other agents were coming from the “Eminescu” theater direction. (I presume that it was Fulger, who, saw us on the other side cursing at us.) They had AK47 weapons, but without shields.
In that moment, I went closer to the Moldova Postal Office and then I ran down Vlaicu Pircalab street, I got to see that they started shooting and beating everyone, they put everyone down, and beating them with the weapons, including the people from the other side of McDonald’s, who had nothing to do with the protest (some of them look like Arabs, or maybe just guests of the capital). I saw all these while being at the corner of the Postal Office Building.
Three of my friends and I are probably the only witnesses who saw the real situation (and who clearly got to escape from that fight that ended up with dead people.) I would like to add that as soon as the Policemen from Fulger came, the agents stepped back.
I believe that between 1:00Am and 1:15AM that guy was killed either by the 12 agents from Moldovan KGB or by the Policemen, what actually corresponds with the time of the death that was declared by the doctors.
My personal ad:
During the night of April 8th, around 12:36AM, a message from the same guy who was a witness at the previous tragedy, on my messenger, a message that said that he saw exactly the same thing posted on IRC. Here is the message:
On April 8 early in the morning, at the emergency hospital, under the ramp that leads to the emergency section, out of the police car Niva with the MAI numbers, was thrown the body of a 20 year old man. A policeman yelled: “Look at him, he seems to be in a bad condition”, after which he got in the car and left.
The witness who declared the above doesn’t want to give his name for understandable reasons, even if he understands the importance of giving out his name. We asked him to give our conversation for publication but he didn’t even want that. At least this is the beginning point in the investigation.

Source: Curaj.net

Communist Repression in Moldova

2009-04-14T13:47:00.003+03:00

GOD HELP MOLDOVA

2009-04-14T01:05:00.008+03:00

TORTURE,WILD SCREAMS AND EXCRUCIABLE PAIN….

This is the reality of the people, captured by policemen after the demonstrations in Moldova, for over a week.

Resident medical students that do their internship at paramedical services in Chisinau have confessed that they have been called to investigate the situation of the detainees at the Pricika Penitentiary.
What they found was beyond shocking!

Over 20% of the detainees, aged 18 to 24 were beaten to nearly dead stage, lying on the floor. THE MEDICAL STUDENTS WEREN’T EVEN ALLOWED TO OFFER THEM MEDICAL HEALTH!! These people were doomed by the cruelty of the system to die in the stench of the prison cells. The detainees who could still stand straight despite broken bones and mutilating bruises needed hospitalization emergently.
Besides being beaten, the young people presented signs of starvation and dehydration.

Since April, 7 over 800 citizens have disappeared all over the republic.

What should their relatives do?? Declare them missing..or just ask for help from the forces of order? Either way, they would appeal exactly to the same people who were ruthlessly, methodically turning the people they cared for into frightened slaves.

It seems like the Holy Week brings sorrow not only in spiritual way to all Moldova’s Christians, but it is also a week drenched in the blood of helpless victims inside the penitenciaries, where men and women alike are beaten, tortured and sexually abused.

GOD HELP MOLDOVA!!

PS: I don’t want YOU, the person reading this article, to donate money or give any material help. ALL I ASK YOU is to follow the destiny of this little country I am from. EVERYTIME you inform yourself on the events going on in Moldova, you give less chance for the dictatorial regime to act however they want in the silence and darkness of indifference of international community.

THANK YOU!