Several Media Outlets Faced Difficulties in Covering the Sunday Events

 According to Ziarul de Garda, on September 6 their journalist was denied access to the concert that took place at Moldexpo and was sponsored by Unite, the mobile phone company belonging to the state company Moldtelecom. Reporter Tatiana Vechiu told us that she was prevented by law enforcement staff from attending the concert and taking pictures.

'I arrived to Moldexpo at two PM. I was going to cover the event. However, I was told that nobody was allowed to attend if holding cameras,' reported the journalist.
The same day, Jurnal TV announced that Moldtelecom, as well as several cable TV operators had stopped Jurnal TV broadcasting in several areas of the country.

According to a news item published on their website, broadcasting was suspended in Drochia, Cahul and in the village of Sireti in Straseni District; also, Jurnal TV broadcasting was suspended by Excelenter-Com Delta cable TV operator in Botanica District of Chisinau.

Ombudsman Michael Cotorobai also expressed concern about the attempts to block the activity of Jurnal TV. 'Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association are fundamental human rights, enshrined in the Constitution and international treaties to which Moldova is a party. The state must enforce and guarantee the fulfillment of these rights,' he said in a press release.
Media Azi contacted the company, asking for a comment on the situation. The Director of Excelenter-Com Delta, Andrei Kasimov, denied that the broadcasting of Jurnal TV had been stopped on Sunday. He also said that the company's management would request that the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Coordinating Council for Broadcasting investigate the case. 'Jurnal TV did not verify the information; it is libel, and it is damaging to our image. We will insist that Jurnal TV apologize publicly,' said Andrei Kasimov.

Moldtelecom responded in a similar way. At our request, Irina Vicol, senior PR officer, told us that Moldtelecom had not received any official complaint from Jurnal TV or any subscriber. 'We took notice of the matter and ran a check, which showed that there was no fault recorded with regard to the broadcasting of Jurnal TV,' stated Irina Vicol.