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Thus, several websites, such as play.md, pan.md and protv.md, wrote about police employees and people in civilian clothes assaulting an employee of play.md. The journalist was not allowed on Sunday, January 24, 2016, to film Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, interim head of the General Police Inspectorate, for the reason that he was “at an operative meeting.” The video material shows police employees using force to stop him from contacting Cavcaliuc, and the journalist complains that his camera was broken.
The Adevarul Moldova newspaper wrote on its website that on Tuesday, January 26, 2016, a citizen who did not want to introduce himself called the newspaper and told that its reporters will be forced away from the protests organized in Chisinau. “We believe that this phone call was an anonymous attempt to intimidate Adevarul Moldova reporters, which is a violation of the principle of freedom of expression,” the newspaper’s message said. Over the past several days, there were also other attempts to intimidate the journalists who cover protests.
Equally worrisome are the interdictions to foreign journalists coming to Moldova to cover protests. We shall remind that OSCE
Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic appealed to Moldovan authorities, asking them to reconsider application of restrictive and selective measures to the media, which are affected by the refusal of entry, and to allow all journalists to do their job freely.
Media NGOs condemn violations of the law that guarantees journalists’ right to obtain and spread information, to make audio and video recordings, to film and photograph, including at meetings, demonstrations and other public manifestations. The Law on the Press prohibits confiscation of journalists’ notes and technical equipment, unless they serve as evidence in a criminal case. The Criminal Code also stipulates, in article 1801, criminal sanctions for intentional prevention of media activities or intimidation for criticism.
We are asking the Government of Moldova to take urgent measures to ensure working conditions for local and foreign media representatives, according to the national legislation and to relevant international conventions. We are asking the Ministry of Internal Affairs to initiate investigations in order to elucidate cases of physical assault and intimidation of journalists and to punish perpetrators, as well as to make sure that the Ministry’s employees respect journalists’ rights and are correct in relations with media representatives.
Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent Press
Association of Electronic Press
”Acces-Info” Center
Association of Independent TV Journalists
