Transnistria releases two Moldovan political prisoners
Political prisoners Evghenii Pancioha and Emilian Ceban have been released after years of unlawful detention in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria, human rights group Promo-LEX announced.
The two men had been illegally sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison respectively on fabricated charges of "high treason." Without this early release, Pancioha and Ceban faced approximately five and eight more years in detention.
According to Promo-LEX, their freedom follows sustained diplomatic and advocacy efforts by Moldovan authorities, international partners, media outlets, and civil society organizations.
Urgent need for medical care and documentation
Despite their release, the human rights group warned that both men urgently require medical, psychological, and legal assistance.
Pancioha was abducted in 2018 by Tiraspol’s self-styled "Ministry of State Security." During his eight-year imprisonment, he was denied a fair trial, independent legal representation, and adequate medical attention, leaving him with severe, unmonitored chronic health conditions.
Ceban was jailed in 2022 at age 18 after refusing to sign a ten-year military contract with illegal paramilitary structures, expressing his desire to move to Moldovan-controlled territory instead. He was tried behind closed doors without access to defense counsel.
Having been funneled into militarized regional schools since childhood, Ceban currently holds no identity documents or citizenship from any state. Promo-LEX has called on Moldovan authorities to issue him official documentation on an emergency basis.
Demands for accountability and conditional aid
Promo-LEX urged Moldovan constitutional authorities to launch a formal criminal investigation into the abductions, illegal detentions, and degrading treatment inflicted on both men.
The organization also stressed that any future aid packages directed toward the Transnistrian region must be tied strictly to enforceable human rights guarantees.
Conditional support remains essential to protecting residents in the breakaway territory, who continue to suffer under Russian occupation and abuses by illegal Tiraspol structures, the organization stated.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
