April violent events are not adequately discussed, Promo-LEX

The subject of the April violent events is not sufficiently debated, the public institutions have not fulfilled their major role in that period, while the people continue to be afraid of torture, ascertained participants in a roundtable meeting, where there was presented the study “Human Rights and Democratic Institutions in Post-Electoral Period in Moldova.” The study was made by Promo-LEX Association. It focused on the situation in Moldova between April 6 and July 1, 2009, Info-Prim Neo reports. The study analyzes the situation of human rights in the post-electoral period, namely the right to assembly, the safety of the person and the right not to be subjected to torture, the freedom of the media and the freedom of expression, the functioning of the democratic institutions. MP Vitalie Nagacevschi, who heads the parliamentary commission for the investigation of the April 7 events, reiterated that Moldova lags behind in ensuring the respect for human rights. “The human rights are not observed in Moldova. There are no efficient mechanisms for guaranteeing the human rights,” Nagacevschi said. The MP said the representatives of the Alliance for European Integration and the members of the parliamentary group of the PCRM cannot agree on the commission's tasks. Asked if persons suspected of involvement in the protests have been heard, Nagacevschi answered that the list has not been drawn up yet, but specified that the aim of the commission is not to identify persons, but elucidate those events and analyze the steps taken by the authorities. Promo-LEX president Ion Manole said the population's trust in the law enforcement bodies diminished a lot after the April events. “This problem is discussed only in Chisinau and insufficiently. No debates or free and open discussions on those events are held on the public TV and radio stations. The people should be provided with objective information,” Ion Manole said. The authors of the study said the right to assembly in the period was not respected. “Though the old law on assembly was abrogated, the new one, which is very good, was adopted by the former Communist Government in a hurry in order to fulfill the EU-Moldova Plan of Action. In reality, the right to assembly is restricted,” said the executive director of Promo-LEX, jurist Alexandru Postica. The study was carried out as part of the Situation of Human Rights and Functioning of Democratic Institutions in Moldova in the 2009 Post-Electoral Period Project, implemented by Promo-LEX.