Former deportees continue to protest

The Association of Former Deportees picketed the Parliament building on November 2 after protesting in front of the Government building a day before. The protesters seek the modification of the official documents that establish the conditions of restoring the confiscated property and ask for a number of benefits. Valentina Sturza, chairwoman of the Association of Former Deportees, told Info-Prim Neo that the law adopted in 2006, after it had expected to be examined for 15 years, does not provide viable conditions for regaining the property. According to the cited source, the former deportees or their families are obliged to produce archive documents describing the confiscated property to the specialized commissions of the district councils. But such documents are not being issued. The most frequent reason invoked is their absence. Moreover, under the law, the applicants must also present a certificate from the cadastre office showing that the confiscated realty was examined at the place where it is located, but this is impossible in the case of demolished buildings, the Association’s chairwoman said. Valentina Sturza stated that the functionaries refuse to accept the descriptions of the confiscated property that are signed by witnesses in the presence of mayors and are authenticated with the stamp of the mayor’s offices. This procedure is stipulated by the law, but banned through a later Government Decision to which the officials make reference. The cited source also said that all the attempts to defend their rights in court are unsuccessful. The cases reach the Supreme Court of Justice, but are then sent back to the first court for reexamination. The protesters demand that they are given back the allowance of 50% of the public utilities. The nominal compensation of 22 lei a month that they receive at present is too small to cover the real maintenance expenses. The protesters also demand that they are provided with the same rights as the veterans of the Second World War. According to Valentina Sturza, the next protest scheduled for November 16 will take place in front of the Ministry of Justice. The Association of Former Deportees has 2,500 members, 1,700 of who are from the municipality of Chisinau.