Un grup de opt organizatii neguvernamentale din Romania s-a adresat, marti, 17 februarie 2009, unor membri ai Parlamentului European, cerindu-le sa intervina pentru a opri deteriorarea situatiei libertatii de exprimare si a libertatii de asociere in Republica Moldova.
Scrisoarea a fost adresata parlamentarilor europeni din comisia parlamentara EU-Moldova si Directoratului General pentru Relatii Externe al Comisiei Europene. Ea vine ca reactie la recentele incidente petrecute in timpul unei manifestatii de protest de la Chisinau, cind protestatarii au fost atacati cu gaze lacrimogene de catre indivizi mascati, sub ochii politiei, care nu a luat nicio masura sa impiedice sau sa opreasca atacurile, petrecute chiar in fata cladirii procuraturii generale a Republicii Moldova.
Mai jos atasam textul scrisorii.
Re: Call for action regarding serious human rights abuses targeting activists in the Republic of Moldova
Bucharest, 17 February, 2009
Your Excellency,
The signatory organizations are writing to you in relation to serious concerns about the constant attempts to restrict freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in the Republic of Moldova. The February 3
rd attack against peaceful human rights activists participating in a protest in solidarity with persons arbitrarily arrested during a legal protest earlier in the month is one of the several incidents happened in the last months. Several human rights activists had been attacked by masked men equipped with tears inducing gas in front of the office of the General Prosecutor in Chisinau without any intervention of police forces. This happened in the day-light, in the presence of media recording the aggression.
The Chair of Amnesty International Moldova was hit and treated in hospital for a head injury, while a representative of the Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights was punched in the face. Other participants suffered from minor injuries.
The police was immediately called by participants at demonstration but failed to intervene even more than one hour after the attack. Such a flagrant inability to protect citizens exercising their rights in front of a public institution heavily secured, in the very center of the city, proves the worsening of the human rights climate in Moldova. This was an assault on human rights and a predictable effect of the lack of interest of the Moldovan authorities to protect those fighting for protection and promotion of human rights in Moldova. As a result, human rights activists continue to be affected by violence, harassment and intimidation and no effective remedies are available for their protection.
Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression are enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, which Moldova has ratified as a member of the Council of Europe. It is the obligation of authorities to ensure that these rights are effectively exercised, including the protection of demonstrators from attacks by third parties.
It is our sincere hope that you can use the framework of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova to ask for an immediate response from the Moldovan Minister of Interior, Gheorghe Papuc, and will include this violation under the human rights concerns discussed in the Semestrial Evaluation of the Action Plan Implementation.
Yours sincerely,
ACCEPT Romania
Center for Legal Resources
Center for Independent Journalism
Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives
Euroregional Center for Democracy
Pro Europe League
Public Policy Institute
APADOR-CH Romanian Helsinki Committee