Ex-political prisoners became honorary citizens of Bucharest

Tudor Popa, Andrei Ivantoc and Alexandru Lesco are Honorary Citizens of Bucharest starting today. This title was bestowed by the Bucharest General Council on Thursday, July 12. The decision to offer this title was taken by Mayor General Adriean Videanu two weeks ago at the proposal of the Civic Media Association, during the meeting held at the Bucharest City Hall with the new Mayor of Chisinau, Dorin Chirtoaca. According to Roxana Cosma, General Councillor and member of the General Council’s Culture Commission, “it is an honour to be able to vote for conferring such a title on those three fighters. I admire their courage and strength proved during these years of illegal imprisonment. I greatly admire their spirit and their warm souls of Romanians”, the municipal councillor said. Also on Thursday, the European Parliament will debate a motion on “The continuous violation of human rights in Transnistria and the necessity of a greater involvement of the European Union in settling the frozen conflict in this region of Moldova”. The draft resolution of the European Parliament was submitted at the initiative of the Romania European MPs from the PPE-DE group, in order to ask the European institution to involve more actively in resolving the human rights violation cases, in light of the last events related to Tudor Popa and Andrei Ivantoc, as well as in the negotiation and settlement process of the dispute in the region. According to the draft resolution, the European Parliament “condemns the continuous degradation of the situation of human rights in Transnistria, especially in what concerns the detention conditions and the way Tudor Popa and Andrei Ivantoc were set free; Insists on the need to find a faster an final settlement for the frozen conflict in Transnistria, by creating a space of democracy and respect for the human rights on the entire territory of Moldova according to the international standards.” By means of the quoted draft resolution, the European Parliament will ask for the implementation of the OSCE conclusion of 1999 from Istanbul which urges Russia to withdraw its troops from the territory of Moldova. The draft resolution reminds “the serious violations of human rights in Transnistria continue especially in what concerns denying the rights of Romanians by closing the Romanian schools and violating a Romanian cemetery in Transnistria, as well as by violating the human rights and political freedoms of the entire population living in the region, which leads to trafficking in human beings and organised crime”.