Edinaya Gagauzia argues in support of IJC president in Gagauzia

The public movement Edinaya Gagauzia (United Gagauzia) has expressed its concern over the methods used by the government authorities to intimidate the president of the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) in Gagauzia Stepan Piron. Members of the movement call on the presidents of political parties, the OSCE Mission in Moldova, the EU Special Representative for Moldova Kalman Miszei and the mass media to help stop the illegal actions by the PCRM against Stepan Piron so as to contribute to a fair electoral campaign and to finding a national consensus in the future. In a communiqué, Edinaya Gagauzia says that a number of illegal actions were taken against Piron on July 16, including the filming of his house and his family. Also, representatives of the Anticorruption Center took the copies of the broadcast licenses of the TV channel headed by Piron from Gagauzia’s General Industry Division and instituted proceedings over illegal entrepreneurial activity. The movement says that on the same day, Piron was invited to the court in Comrat to participate in a trial, though no hearings were scheduled for that day. Edinaya Gagauzia considers that all these illegal acts are connected with the professional activity of Stepan Piron, who has lately spoken about the violations committed by the PCRM. Stepan Piron is a member of the District Electoral Council in Gagauzia. At a news conference on Monday, he said that the Communists Party (PCRM) started to persecute and intimidate him after he submitted a number of applications to the Council, accusing the party of illegally placing election posters, Info-Prim Neo reports.