European Federation of Journalists expresses support for Moldovan journalists

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) makes common cause with the Moldovan journalist in the fight for a free and transparent distribution of licenses for broadcast frequencies. The ban on broadcasting the channel TVR1 in Moldova is only a political manipulation, the EFL Secretary General Aidan White says. The Federation calls on the Moldovan authorities to review the decision and to act according to rules. The Government must prove that after a decade of attacks on the freedom of the press, Moldova is ready for a democratic transition that implies pluralism and respect for journalist’s rights, Aidan White said. According to the Federation, both the Romanian Trade Union MediaSind and the Journalists’ Trade Union of Moldova will appeal against the decision of the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) to give the license for the state-owned network No.2, which is used to relay TVR1, to another television channel. The EFJ says it supports MediaSind and the Journalists’ Union of Moldova in their intention to stage protests, especially in the context of the November 5 European action “Stand Up for Journalism” launched by the Federation. The European Federation of Journalists represents over 250,000 journalists in more than 30 countries. Earlier, an appeal against the BBC decision was made by different media organisations counting the Journalists’ Union of Moldova, the Association of Independent Press, the Committee for the Freedom of the Press, the Independent Journalism Centre, the Association of Independent Lawyers, the Association of Independent TV Reporters, the Centre Acces-Info, the Association of Electronic Press, the Committee for the Defence of Human and Professional Rights and the Lawyers for Human Rights.