API protests “against illegal attempts to impose censorship of the media during election campaign”

The Independent Press Association (API) protests against “the illegal attempts to impose censorship of the media during the election campaign” and says it will challenge the relevant decisions made by the Chisinau election authority in court and the Central Election Commission (CEC), Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting a Statement issued by the Association. The API made the Statement as publisher of the civic and electoral education supplement “Obiectiv” (“Objective”) distributed through the publications that are members of the Association. According to the Statement, the API categorically denies the accusations of violation of the election legislation made by the representatives of the Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) in the Central Election Commission, Serghei Sarbu. The assertions that the articles analyzing how the PCRM fulfilled its election promises of 2005 in the opinion of different experts run counter or can contravene the election legislation are not legally supported, while the insinuations that the articles had been ordered by one of the election runners from the Opposition are ridiculous and absurd. API regrets the fact that the members of the Chisinau District Election Council No. 1 that examined the contestation of the PCRM representative at the meeting of February 20, 2009 were guided by their own political sympathies rather than the law and made a decision whereby they “warn the API that the violation of the election legislation are not admitted.” Such a decision does not have legal support and the API will challenge it in court and the CEC.” The API informs the general public and the CEC that the members of the Chisinau District Election Council No. 1 by a majority vote adopted also other decisions that seriously affect the freedom of opinion and expression and the freedom of the press guaranteed by article 32 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova and article 1 of the Law on the Press. At the request of the PCRM representative in the CEC, the District Council “warned” a number of media outlets that published articles described by the representative of the ruling party as favorable to other election contenders. Reasserting the journalists’ deontological obligation to cover the election campaign fairly and impartially, as stipulated in the regulations concerning the covering of the election campaign in mass media adopted by the CEC, the API protests against the illegal attempts to impose censorship of the media during the election campaign. The API calls on the Central Election Commission to reexamine the contestations included in the agendas of the meetings of the Chisinau District Election Council No. 1 of February 20 and 21, 2009, and to “warn” the District Council about the necessity of observing the Election Code and the regulations concerning the covering of the election campaign for the April 5 legislative elections in mass media when examining contestations that concern the mass media. The supplement “Obiectiv” is published as part of the Political Parties’ Programs on the Fight against Corruption in the 2009 Elections Project, which is part of the Strengthening Civil Society Monitoring Capacity in Moldova Program implemented by the Academy for Educational Development with the technical assistance of the International Research and Exchanges Board. The program is financed by the U.S. Government through the Millennium Challenge Corporation and managed by the United State Agency for International Development as part of the Threshold Country Program for Moldova.