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MP Iurie Muntean from the Party of Communists and several of his supporters were involved in a conflict with the crew of Pro TV channel. The incident occurred near the Parliament building, where pro-Communists were about to start a protest against the current regime. Protesters displayed an aggressive behavior when the Pro TV cameraman was trying to film them, according to InProfunzime.md website.
The crew tried to shoot a scene from the MP’s discussion with supporters of the Party of Communists. Several protesters, as well as MP Muntean himself, categorically refused being filmed by the operator and started pushing and insulting him. Iurie Muntean also approached the reporter and pushed him away from the protest area, asking him to stop filming. Several police officers were also present near the scene.
Petru Macovei, head of the Independent Press Association (API), believes this incident falls under Article 180-1 of the Criminal Code, dealing with “intentionally obstructing media activities or intimidation against criticism”. He stressed that journalists had the right to film without restrictions since they were in a public place. “What’s even worse is that the MP’s behavior incited his supporters to become aggressive. Unfortunately, situations like this have been happening very often lately. The law should be enforced and those who are guilty should be punished,” Macovei said.
Article 180-1 regarding the intentional obstruction of media activities has been introduced in the Criminal Code of Moldova on April 20th.
