Representatives of the Association of Veterans of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and of the Union of Veterans of the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies consider the actions taken by the police against participants in the protest on October 16 were violent. According to them, the protest was peaceful and the people wanted only to show their attitude to the difficult situation in the country and to ask for better living conditions.
In a news conference at IPN, the president of the Union of Veterans of the Armed Forces Vladimir Donțul said the police committed flagrant violations when they intervened in the protest mounted in front of the Presidential Palace and the Parliament Building. “They staged a butchery against the peaceful protesters who came together to state their wish to live better, not to be driven to poverty. The law didn’t find anything better than to start and use the batons by order of the government,” said the colonel, noting that the protest also involved older persons and mothers with children.
“Dear police officers who today use the batons against the people – mothers, grandparents and children – you should know that any stick has two ends. Time will come when you in a period will have what to say to your sons and daughters as I also beat older people who asked for a better life with the nightstick,” said Vladimir Donțul.
Vasile Severin, the first commander of the Special Forces Battalion “Fulger”, said that he cannot look indifferently at what is happening in the country. “The prices grow daily. That’s why the people took to the streets as they cannot go on like this. The people daily feel psychological pressure,” stated Vasile Severin. According to him, the government says the people have the right to protest but instructed the police to act against the protesters.
Vladimir Solop, ex-head of the Criminal Police, said there is complete lack of communication between the government and the protesters. The rulers take unwise decisions and engage the police in illegalities.
Yuri Dementyev, ex-head of the Operational Coordination Division, said the people die because of poverty and the freedom of assembly and the freedom of expression are violated. “For this reason, we, the police veterans, want to remind that all the citizens of the Republic of Moldova have the right to peacefully assemble and to freely express their social position,” he noted.
Note: IPN News Agency gives the right of reply to persons who consider they were touched by the news items produced based on statements of the organizers of the given news conference, including by facilitating the organization of another news conference in similar conditions.
