Ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai said the mechanisms for managing the state of emergency in the Transnistrian region are disproportionate and contrary to the international standards in the field of human rights. The ombudsman calls on the state authorities, representatives of the mediators and observers at the 5+2 format talks to take diplomatic, legal or other kinds of measures in accordance with the international law so as to ensure the realization of the human rights and freedoms in the territorial-administrative units of the Transnistrian region during the state of emergency, while the limitations of human rights should be proportional to the situation that determines these, IPN reports.

In a call made to the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and representatives of the mediators and observers at the 5+2 format talks, the ombudsman expresses his concern about the implementation by the Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky, following a degree signed on March 30, of mechanisms for managing the state of emergency that are disproportionate and contrary to the international human rights standards.

This way, the right to free movement, the right to have the domicile or residence in any locality of the region, the right to leave, emigrate and return to the region could be limited in the Transnistrian region in the period. The rights to work, to free choice of employment, not to be subject to forced labor, to rest, to enjoy the regular hours of work per week and to ownership can also be limited.

The ombudsman notes that the international law allows taking emergency measures in response to significant threats, but the measures should be proportional to the assessed risk and should be applied non-discriminatorily.

The foreign dialogue platforms where Chisinau, the recognized international partners and the international organizations of which Moldova is a party can state their positions and also the 5+2 format talks can become platforms of cooperation between the national authorities, relevant foreign players, representatives of the mediators and observers that can contribute to alleviating the effects of the unjustified human rights limitations in the Transnistrian region during the state of emergency.

By an application to the minister of justice on March 25, Mihail Cotorobai proposed calling the meeting of the working group for human rights in the Transnistrian settlement process so as to discuss the alleged human rights violations and the problems faced by the people living on the left bank of the Nistru in connection with the measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The ombudsman’s proposal wasn’t accepted as the meetings of the sector working groups, under the negotiation principles and procedures, are held only at the head office of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, but this is in quarantine.