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Рy30 December 2015
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Media organizations are expressing concern about a new attempt to restrict journalists’ right to attend the public meetings of Orhei City Council (CC). According to radioorhei.info, on December 29, a security guard of the Orhei City Hall did not allow the website’s correspondent to attend the meeting of the CC. The video posted by the website shows the security guard stopping the journalist in the foyer of the City Hall because he “was not previously registered at the secretary.” The security guard could not answer the journalist’s question about who imposed that rule, but he said he knew that he violated the law. http://radioorhei.info/video-istoria-se-repeta-acces-interzis-la-sedinta...
It has not been the first violation of this kind at the Orhei City Hall. On December 10, in order to enter the meeting room, a representative of Radio Orhei had to convince two guards at the entrance that he had the right to attend the meeting of local elected officials. On July 15, a team of Jurnal TV was assaulted inside a public institution by a person who refused to introduce himself but forbade journalists to film inside the City Hall. At that time, journalists had to call the police and then filed a complaint against that person who assaulted them verbally and physically.
Non-governmental organizations working in the media field are asking the Orhei Police Commissariat, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Orhei Prosecution Office to investigate the cases of repeated abuse, when access to information was hindered, and to inform the public as soon as possible about the investigation concerning the persons who obstructed the Radio Orhei journalist’s access to the CC meeting of December 29. Also, we are asking Mayor Ilan Shor to stop the antidemocratic practices of obstruction of journalists’ access to public meetings.
We shall remind that such actions violate not only the media law, but also the law on the local public administration, in which Article 17, “Transparency of Meetings,” stipulates: “(1) The meetings of the local council are public. (2) Any interested person can attend the meetings of the local council. (5) Obstruction of free access to the meetings of the local council or damaging of decision making by deliberate hiding of information of public interest is punishable under the law in force.”
We shall also mention that, under Article 1801 of the Criminal Code of Moldova, deliberate obstruction of mass media activities entails criminal responsibility.
It has not been the first violation of this kind at the Orhei City Hall. On December 10, in order to enter the meeting room, a representative of Radio Orhei had to convince two guards at the entrance that he had the right to attend the meeting of local elected officials. On July 15, a team of Jurnal TV was assaulted inside a public institution by a person who refused to introduce himself but forbade journalists to film inside the City Hall. At that time, journalists had to call the police and then filed a complaint against that person who assaulted them verbally and physically.
Non-governmental organizations working in the media field are asking the Orhei Police Commissariat, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Orhei Prosecution Office to investigate the cases of repeated abuse, when access to information was hindered, and to inform the public as soon as possible about the investigation concerning the persons who obstructed the Radio Orhei journalist’s access to the CC meeting of December 29. Also, we are asking Mayor Ilan Shor to stop the antidemocratic practices of obstruction of journalists’ access to public meetings.
We shall remind that such actions violate not only the media law, but also the law on the local public administration, in which Article 17, “Transparency of Meetings,” stipulates: “(1) The meetings of the local council are public. (2) Any interested person can attend the meetings of the local council. (5) Obstruction of free access to the meetings of the local council or damaging of decision making by deliberate hiding of information of public interest is punishable under the law in force.”
We shall also mention that, under Article 1801 of the Criminal Code of Moldova, deliberate obstruction of mass media activities entails criminal responsibility.
Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent Press
Association of Electronic Press of Moldova
Committee for Press Freedom
“Acces-Info” Center
Association of Independent TV Journalists
