Employees of Antena C and Euro TV have created Resistance Committee

The employees of the two municipal stations Antena C and Euro TV Chisinau, which are on the brink of being reorganized by selling, according to the Municipal Councils’ decision, have created a Resistance Committee that would represent and protect their interests and act on behalf of the staffs. A statement delivered to Info-Prim Neo says that the two editorial staffs warn the international organizations, central and local authorities, and civil society that the freedom of expression, people’s access to information, equidistance and objectivity could be seriously endangered once the municipal broadcasting will be privatized, due to the CMC’s hasty adoption of a decision of major public concern. “Considering the legal contradictions and the lack in the audiovisual legislation of certain adequate mechanisms for applying the new provisions concerning the institutions founded by local public administration, and taking into account the fact that the members of “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau” editorial staffs have been marginalized and even excluded from the process of drawing up decisions to recognise the stations, the teams of municipal radio and television stations protest against the political pressures to which they are subjected and announce about the creation of a Resistance Committee “Antena C – Euro TV Chisinau”, the statement says. The statement’s signers urge CMC to institute a 1-year-moratorium on reorganization of audiovisual institutions, while the Audiovisual Coordinating Council to prolong the validity of the broadcasting licences issued to “Antena C” and “Euro TV Chisinau”, according article 24 of the Audiovisual Code (AC). At the same time, they call on the Parliament to examine the opportunity of operating amendments to AC that would stipulate the introduction of certain concrete mechanisms for reorganizing audiovisual institutions founded by local public administration or allow the two stations to further unfold their activity as regional public radiobroadcasters, and head of state – not to admit throttling the freedom of press in Moldova and to safeguard the observance of the citizens’ constitutional rights. The employees of the two stations appeal to international organizations and diplomatic missions accredited to Chisinau to back and encourage the functioning of the democratic institutions in Moldova, not to allow derogations from the Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding media pluralism. Meanwhile, the civil society in Moldova is called to take attitude in order to avoid liquidation of radio and TV stations, which are meant to secure opinion pluralism and offer all citizens free access to information.