Alexandr Rjavitin, the young man who in 2015 evaded the military bodies of the Transnistrian region and last December was caught in Tiraspol, was conscripted into the same military unit. The Transnistrian press published a feature saying this wasn’t beaten or humiliated and “things in the army improved”. The authorities in Chisinau and the young man’s lawyer doubt the sincerity of such statements, saying the report featuring Alexandr Rjavitin generates questions.
Contacted by IPN, Promo-LEX lawyer Pavel Cazacu said that during a month, neither the family nor the lawyers had access to him. It was only known that he was in a jail in Tiraspol. Later, his mother was allowed to see him, but under supervision. It became known that the arrest warrant was annulled and the young man was transferred to the same military unit that he evaded in 2015.
“The video showing him arouses questions. Why was this video broadcast now, not when he was arrested? Why do those from Tiraspol need to show how good the alleged army of the Transnistrian region is? If we follow this video attentively, we see that they actually admit what Alexandru said in 2015 about the use of violence in the so-called Transnistrian army, about the harassment and intimidation to which the recruits were subject there. Those from Tiraspol confirm this. His situation continues to be uncertain as he is prosecuted according to the legislation of the Transnistrian region. He was charged on three counts related to the statutory relations and leaving of the military unit in the region,” stated the lawyer.
According to him, the young man is exposed to risks as he earlier made a number of statements about the behavior of the other recruits and of superiors of the Transnistrian army. Moreover, he is practically in a detention place even if this is not called jail. The recently broadcast video generates questions given that there are precedents when young people in detention said the situation is good, but then declared the opposite. Promo-LEX will continue to monitor this case and will make effort to improve the situation of Alexandr Rjavitin.
Contacted by IPN, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Alexandru Flenchea said that when Alexandr Rjavitin is transferred from a detention place to another and continues not to be free, such statements made before video cameras should not surprise. “The person is not free. He depends on people who continue to hold him hostage and his statements can be thus explained,” he stated.
Alexandru Flenchea also said that in his professional experience, he met similar cases when persons, in the presence of military superiors, said what they were forced to say, but in the absence of these said other things and sought help, asked to be set free and brought to Chisinau. The Reintegration Bureau will continue its actions and will mobilize all the administrative resources so as to set him free.
Doina Gherman, chairwoman of the Parliament’s commission on human rights and interethnic relations, has told IPN that she saw that feature about Alexandr Rjavitin and this made her have questions. “By his psychological portrait, we see that Alexandru tells things that are not really true. It is now sad to realize that after almost two months of absence of a citizen of our country, we had absolutely no information about him. We could not help him somehow, at least with medical or legal aid. We just saw an arranged video,” she noted.
The MP also said that she will further request the responsible authorities to intervene. It is very important for a lawyer, a doctor and an official representative from Chisinau to go and discuss with Alexandr Rjavitin in private in that military unit.
