NGOs condemn Tiraspol's restrictions on press
Non-governmental media organisations have condemned the perpetuation of abusive and illegal practices by Tiraspol against journalists, and called on the constitutional authorities of the Republic of Moldova to ensure the rights and freedoms of their citizens guaranteed by law.
On September 21, photojournalist Elena Covalenco was informed of a ban on entering the territory of the Transnistrian region. The unconstitutional authorities in the left-bank of the Dniester have declared her "undesirable" for a period of three years, in the context of the journalist's reporting of a report in Tiraspol in July of this year.
"We draw the attention of the legitimate authorities of the Republic of Moldova to the seriousness of the interferences with human rights and freedoms, guaranteed at the national and international levels, both through the violation of individual freedoms and the safety of persons, as well as through the interferences with the special rights guaranteed to journalists," the Appeal states.
"We remind that Article 25 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova guarantees the inviolability of individual freedom and the safety of the person, and that, by virtue of Article 4 (1) of the Law on Freedom of Expression, the state is obliged to guarantee the freedom of expression of the media. Thus, no one can prohibit or prevent the media from disseminating information of public interest except in accordance with the law. Moreover, paragraph (5) of the same article provides that the intentional illegal obstruction of the activities of the media is punishable by criminal law."
The signing organisations strongly condemn the abusive and illegal actions of the Tiraspol separatist forces against journalists, and point out the inadmissibility of tolerating such serious violations.
"We call on the legitimate authorities of the Republic of Moldova to take note of these defiant practices and to take the necessary measures to ensure the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Press Law."
The Appeal is signed by the Center for Independent Journalism, the Independent Press Association, the Electronic Press Association, the Center for Investigative Journalism, the Committee for Press Freedom, the Media Guard Association, the "Access-Info" Center, the Association of Environmental Journalists and Ecological Tourism, and RISE Moldova.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
