Petras Auštrevičius: The Administrative and Legal Difficulties Faced by the Media in the Republic of Moldova “Cannot Be Justified in Any Way”

The rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova to the European Parliament, Petras Auštrevičius, issued on Friday, 3^rd of February 2017, a press release to call on the State power institutions - the Presidency, the Parliament, the Government - to do everything possible in order to fully ensure the press independence and freedom in Moldova.

In this context, Petras Auštrevičius expressed his concern about “the circumstances under which certain independent media - Jurnal TV and TV 7 – are constrained to work”. According to the European official, the diversity of administrative and legal difficulties faced by the media while performing their tasks “cannot be justified in any way”.

According to the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, Moldova undertook to respect the human rights and the rule of law that includes first of all the freedom of the media, the press-release reads.

“I call on the authorities of Moldova, all the political stakeholders to undertake everything possible in order not to impede the functioning of the independent press that is guaranteed in Moldova”, the European Parliament rapporteur for Moldova stated.

Recall that Jurnal Trust Media announced on Thursday, 12^th of January 2017, in a press statement, that the owner of the building where they had rented space for nearly seven years requested them to vacate the premises within 35 days and, therefore, needing to seek a new location, a part of broadcasts would be stopped. Mass-media representatives, civil society activists and ordinary media consumers have expressed their concerns about the situation of Jurnal TV Trust.