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The Union of Journalists is Forced to Leave its Office in the Press House. Valeriu Saharneanu: “We’ll Create a New Union!”

02 March 2017
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The Union of Journalists of Moldova (UJM) has to leave on Monday, March 6, the offices it had in the Press House. Following litigation with the state-owned company “The Press House”, the court obliged the Union of Journalists to leave the office it had been holding there for years.
 
Judicial enforcement agent Veronica Casian arrived on Thursday, March 2, to the office of the Union of Journalists to execute the court judgment. At a closed-door meeting between the parties, the execution of the court judgment was postponed until Monday, March 6, at the request on the acting chairman of the Union. Veronica Casian refused to offer us further details, claiming that “all information pertaining to the lawsuit is confidential. Ask the parties involved.”
 
Valeriu Saharneanu told “Media Azi” that it had been a long-lasting conflict. “This situation emerged after the managers of the Press House kept increasing the rent and applying fines until we reached a debt of over MDL 200 thousand,” said the acting chairman of the UJM. When asked what he was going to do next, Saharneanu said there are many other offices for rent. “I think we‘ll find something. We’ll create a new Union of Journalists!”
 
Since 1994, the Press House has been managed by the Government of Moldova through an entity subordinated to the State Chancellery. For years the Union of Journalists has been appealing to the Government to transfer the Press House for the use of the professional journalists’ organization, but the appeals were unanswered.