Expert Thomas Hammarberg formulates 38 recommendations for Tiraspol

Thomas Hammarberg, senior expert on the human rights in Moldova’s Transnistrian region, said the statements made by persons held in the Transnistrian prisons are worrisome. According to him, a large number of detainees assert the cases against them were fabricated and this points to lack of trust in the legal system, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference in Chisinau, Thomas Hammarberg said that a series of measures are needed to increase the people’s confidence. The procedures for appointing judges should be impartial. Any suspicion of corrupt behavior and other attempts should be investigated. The expert said he visited different penitentiary institutions and reached the conclusion that the system should be completely reformed. A first step would bed to reduce the number of prisoners as the jails are overcrowded. Another problem is the too harsh punishments. According to Thomas Hammarberg, the high rate of recidivism is a sign that the incarceration policy is counterproductive. The conditions in penitentiaries must be improved in accordance with the international standards concerning the protection of detainees. The healthcare service in prisons should be also improved. As regards the observance of other rights in the Transnistrian region, Thomas Hammarberg said that greater attention must be paid to the phenomenon of domestic violence. In order to detect the signs of such violence at an incipient stage, there should be formulated precise policies that would oblige the social workers, medical personnel, teachers and other professionals who hold an official post to report suspicions of physical abuse and psychological or emotional harassment. The expert also said that the schools teaching in Latin script also deserve increased attention. He recommended the Transnistrian authorities to solve the problems related to the rent for head offices and to find solutions to other unsolved property-related problems. Thomas Hammarberg visited the Transnistrian region within three special missions, in May, September and November 2012. The report he presented now contains 38 recommendations intended mainly for the Transnistrian authorities. In Chisinau, the expert met with Prime Minister Vlad Filat, who assured that the Government of Moldova will take into account the recommendations formulated in his report, which can contribute to solving the Transnistrian dispute.