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According to NewsMaker (NM), after publishing an article about a criminal case started against two police officers, the editorial office was sued by those referred to in the article. The latter also submitted complaints to the Police, requesting that journalist Alexandra Batanova (author of the article) be subjected to contraventional accountability for defamation.
NewsMaker found out about these complaints from the head of Police Station No 1, Nicolae Cornescu who, in violation of the procedural norms set forth in the Contraventional Code, showed up in person at the office of the media outlet. As Alexandra Batanova was not in the office at that moment, he left his phone number so that the journalist could call him later.
Note that according to the law, the authority in charge of settling the contraventional case should have summoned in writing the journalist to come to the Police office, informing the latter about the right to be heard in the presence of a defender.
Hence, by coming personally to NewsMaker office, the head of Police Station No 1 violated the law and this can be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate journalists. Given the abusive actions of police officer Nicolae Cornescu, which reveal his biased attitude to complainants, we request that law enforcement bodies act in strict compliance with the law when reviewing the contraventional case.
We remind that according to Articles 4 and 26 of the Law on Activity of the Police and Status of Police Officers, ‘the activity of the Police shall be carried out exclusively on the basis of and with the view to enforce the law (...)’, and ‘Police officers shall carry out their professional activity in the interest and in support of individuals, communities and State institutions, exclusively on the basis of and with the view to enforce the law, being obliged to: b) comply with the law when performing the job-related tasks, contributing to the fulfillment of the Police duties’.
We regard the behavior of the head of Police Station No 1, Nicolae Cornescu, as unacceptable and dishonorable for the position held, and his actions as a defiance of press freedom, resulting in lower public trust in the Moldovan Police. Therefore, nongovernmental organizations:
- Ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to take note of the unlawful actions of the head of Police Station No 1 and communicate publicly the measures taken with regards to Nicolae Cornescu;
- Urge law enforcement bodies to comply strictly with the law and give up on the abusive and unlawful practices of intimidating journalists.
Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent Press
Association of Electronic Press
Press Freedom Committee
Association of Independent TV Journalists
‘Access-Info’ Center
RISE Moldova
Environment and Ecotourism Journalists’ Association
