Moldova condemns Tiraspol’s press restrictions amid tensions
The illegal and abusive actions of Tiraspol against journalists will be discussed by Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, Oleg Serebrian, during discussions on April 7 with the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Thomas Lenck, as well as with the EU’s Special Representative in the negotiation process on the Transnistrian settlement, Dorota Dlouchy-Suliga.
The announcement was made by the Bureau for Reintegration Policies for Teleradio-Moldova.
According to the cited source, Tiraspol’s latest move "once again shows a deliberate attempt to escalate tensions at any cost and to foster distrust between the two sides of the Dniester River." The Bureau for Reintegration Policies stated that Chișinău's position has already been communicated in a message to Tiraspol’s political representative in the Transnistrian settlement process. At the same time, Moldova’s international partners have also been informed.
"State authorities are closely monitoring the human rights situation and fundamental freedoms in the eastern districts of the country. One area of consistent concern for Chișinău, as well as for many of Moldova’s external partners, is press freedom, particularly the restrictions on journalists from the right bank entering the Transnistrian region," the Bureau for Reintegration Policies emphasized in its statement.
Recently, the website of Tiraspol’s self-proclaimed "legislator" published a purported legislative initiative introducing fines for "foreign" journalists, and those from the right bank of the Dniester, who engage in journalistic activities in the Transnistrian region without prior accreditation from the separatist forces in Tiraspol.
The separatist authorities’ illegal actions have been strongly condemned by a coalition of media organizations.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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