Media NGOs call on authorities to support Ernest Vardanyan’s family

Media nongovernmental organizations consider that the Moldovan authorities are obligated to continue the negotiations for releasing journalist Ernest Vardanyan and to support his family. “We call on the authorities to inform civil society about the progress made in this respect,” the NGOs say in a public letter, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. The signatories - the Independent Journalism Center, the Independent Press Association, the Journalistic Investigations Center, the Committee for the Freedom of the Press, and the Electronic Press Association – condemn the conditions in which Ernest Vardanyan was held and tried and express their concern about the freedom of the press, the safety of the profession of journalist and the human rights in Transnistria. The NGOs say that the journalist did not receive a fair trial, in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. While waiting for his trial, Ernest Vardanyan was not allowed to see his family. Pressure was made on the journalist in order to extract statements from him. The trial was held in secret, while the lawyers of Promo-Lex Association were not allowed to attend the hearings. The U.S. Embassy in Chisinau also expressed its concern about the conviction of the journalist. “We continue to be concerned about the way in which the journalist was convicted. Serious questions appear as to the observance of the rights of journalist Vardanyan. We insist that the fundamental principles of a fair trial should be respected,” the U.S. Embassy says in a communiqué. On December 16, the supreme court of justice of Transnistria sentenced Ernest Vardanyan to 15 years in prison for treason and espionage for Moldova. He was arrested on April 7, 2010 and was tried in secret.