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Рy06 October 2017
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Photojournalist Constantin Grigorita filed a lawsuit against the Administration of the President of the Republic of Moldova for the ban to attend the events organized by President Igor Dodon. According to the photojournalist, the State Protection and Guard Service (SPGS) officers had already denied him access to such meetings four times. At the request of the Association of Independent Press (AIP), whose member Grigorita is, to explain the reasons for the ban, the presidential administration referred to the Journalist’s Code of Conduct and to professional ethics. In its turn, the SPGS claim they acted in accordance with the law in force.
The photojournalist wishes to challenge in court the administrative acts of the Presidency, on the basis of which he was forbidden to attend the events organized by the head of state. His application was accepted by the Chisinau Court (Buiucani district office), which ordered the Presidency to issue an explanation for this case by November 13. The court also proposed to the parties to settle the dispute amicably by that date.
In his application to court, Grigorita explained that he was four times denied access to the events organized by the Presidency and that he got no credible explanations from it regarding the bans. The journalist believes that the ban was applied after he addressed some uncomfortable questions to Moldovan President Igor Dodon at a press conference several months ago about the Transnistrian conflict and his relations with Russia: “How can the president of the country apologize to the one who assaulted us? They shot with hard weapons. With tanks, three tanks. I was there and I saw it myself. I didn’t shoot. How can a president apologize to an aggressor?” he asked Igor Dodon.
After that press conference, the journalist was no longer allowed to attend other events organized by the Presidency.
Constantin Grigorita claims he had several times asked for explanations from the Presidency about these bans, but got no concrete answers. In his attempts to find out the reasons of restrictions he was sent to SPGS, and the SPGS sent him to the Presidency.
The Association of Independent Press asked the Presidency to comment on these bans, and the latter replied that the AIP received the accreditation to participate in the dialogue between President Igor Dodon and the media on July 26, 2017, but “such a request for participation on behalf of Mr. Constantin Grigorita was not recorded in the institution’s register, which made his presence at the dialogue impossible.” As a note, the Presidency reminded that “the basic principles governing refusal of accreditation or its withdrawal are morals and professional ethics.”
Asked why Constantin Grigorita is not allowed to attend presidential press conferences, Igor Dodon said that this is the decision of the guard service: “You should ask the guard service. I have no problem with any question. We have the guard service, and they should know what suspicions this individual raised. No one was ever limited in questions. He probably crossed the line and tried some provocative action and that was why the guard responded that way,” Igor Dodon said.
The editorial office of Media Azi addressed the same question to the SPGS. According to their answer, signed by SPGS Director Anatolie Golea, “SPGS officers have the duty to prevent, detect and annihilate any action, risk or threat attempting at the life, physical integrity, freedom of action and health of the persons receiving state protection, regardless of where they are.” They also have the right “to take, where appropriate, measures to limit or temporarily prohibit the movement of vehicles and access of persons to certain areas and to buildings of any kind.”
The photojournalist wishes to challenge in court the administrative acts of the Presidency, on the basis of which he was forbidden to attend the events organized by the head of state. His application was accepted by the Chisinau Court (Buiucani district office), which ordered the Presidency to issue an explanation for this case by November 13. The court also proposed to the parties to settle the dispute amicably by that date.
In his application to court, Grigorita explained that he was four times denied access to the events organized by the Presidency and that he got no credible explanations from it regarding the bans. The journalist believes that the ban was applied after he addressed some uncomfortable questions to Moldovan President Igor Dodon at a press conference several months ago about the Transnistrian conflict and his relations with Russia: “How can the president of the country apologize to the one who assaulted us? They shot with hard weapons. With tanks, three tanks. I was there and I saw it myself. I didn’t shoot. How can a president apologize to an aggressor?” he asked Igor Dodon.
After that press conference, the journalist was no longer allowed to attend other events organized by the Presidency.
Constantin Grigorita claims he had several times asked for explanations from the Presidency about these bans, but got no concrete answers. In his attempts to find out the reasons of restrictions he was sent to SPGS, and the SPGS sent him to the Presidency.
The Association of Independent Press asked the Presidency to comment on these bans, and the latter replied that the AIP received the accreditation to participate in the dialogue between President Igor Dodon and the media on July 26, 2017, but “such a request for participation on behalf of Mr. Constantin Grigorita was not recorded in the institution’s register, which made his presence at the dialogue impossible.” As a note, the Presidency reminded that “the basic principles governing refusal of accreditation or its withdrawal are morals and professional ethics.”
Asked why Constantin Grigorita is not allowed to attend presidential press conferences, Igor Dodon said that this is the decision of the guard service: “You should ask the guard service. I have no problem with any question. We have the guard service, and they should know what suspicions this individual raised. No one was ever limited in questions. He probably crossed the line and tried some provocative action and that was why the guard responded that way,” Igor Dodon said.
The editorial office of Media Azi addressed the same question to the SPGS. According to their answer, signed by SPGS Director Anatolie Golea, “SPGS officers have the duty to prevent, detect and annihilate any action, risk or threat attempting at the life, physical integrity, freedom of action and health of the persons receiving state protection, regardless of where they are.” They also have the right “to take, where appropriate, measures to limit or temporarily prohibit the movement of vehicles and access of persons to certain areas and to buildings of any kind.”
Please note that non-governmental media organizations have condemned limitation of access to information and restrictions imposed on the journalists who are deemed undesirable by the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova and have called for ensuring non-discriminatory access of media representatives to the events organized by the Presidency and to information of public interest, which the latter must provide under the law on access to information.
