Media NGOs Condemn the Intimidation of Journalist Vadim Sterbate

Media organizations are concerned about the threats and intimidation coming from a former employee of the Soroca City Police Inspectorate against journalist Vadim Stebate. After the journalist published some photographs about illegal parking facilities in the city of Soroca in the Observatorul de Nord regional newspaper, a former policeman commented on a social networking website: “You didn’t get punched when you should have, and now you’re going out of your mind.”

We qualify this case as an act of intimidation of journalists. The rights of journalists in Moldova are protected by law. Article 4 of the Law on Freedom of Expression stipulates that the media have the task to inform the public about matters of public interest and to conduct, according to their responsibilities, journalistic investigations on matters of public interest.

According to Article 69 of the Contraventions Code, public insult, words or deeds that violate the honor and dignity of a person are subject to liability.

At the same time, Article 180¹ of the Criminal Code provides for punishment for “intimidation of the media or of a journalist for criticism, if it comes in the form of threats of physical violence.”

We ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Prosecutor’s Office to investigate this case without delay, and to present the results of investigation to the public as soon as possible.
 
Independent Journalism Center
Association of Independent Press
Electronic Press Association
Journalistic Investigations Center
Association of Independent TV Journalists
“Acces-Info” center