The Association Promo-LEX in 2022 also monitored the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and ascertained that things continue worsening. “Regrettably, this is a finding that has persisted for four years at least,” the lawyer for Promo-LEX Pavel Cazacu stated for IPN in a yearend comment.

The Russian military invasion in Ukraine indirectly affected the inhabitants of the Transnistrian region. Also, civic activism was persecuted and there were no efficient mechanisms for defending human rights. The phenomenon of impunity persisted.

Pavel Cazacu noted that the Transnistrian authorities’ ban on filing complaints and applications to the constitutional bodies of the Republic of Moldova is the most recent obstacle to the protection of the basic human rights and freedoms. The persons who will ignore this ban risk up to eight years in jail.

“The problems experienced now by the inhabitants of the Transnistrian region are also the result of the inconsistency of the reintegration policies pursued the last 30 years,” stated the lawyer.

According to him, after tens of years of abuses and illegalities that were repeatedly confirmed by the European Court of Human Rights, the Moldovan authorities should build up the punishment mechanism or should identify an alternative mechanism for punishing persons who commit abuses in the Transnistrian region.

“The necessity of a proactive behavior in the constitutional authorities is also influenced by the exclusion of the Russian Federation from the Council of Europe. This country continues exerting decisive influence on the regime in Tiraspol and has been responsible for the human rights violations in this territory until now,” said Pavel Cazacu.

Promo-LEX hopes that more will be done in 2023 to set free political prisoners and that authentic legal proceedings will be started against persons to blame for human rights abuses. Such a step is necessary in order to stop the negative effects of impunity, concluded lawyer Pavel Cazacu.