Media nongovernmental organizations condemn Prime Minister Ion Chicu’s attacks and defamatory messages against the mass media and express their indignation at the denigrating attitude of the Premier’s adviser Vitalie Dragancea. By a statement, the signatory NGOs ask that the Premier and the adviser should apologize publicly to the media and the adviser should resign, IPN reports.
The statement says that only one day after the Press Freedom Day, Premier Chicu posted a message by which he leveled criticism at media outlets, in particular at Pro TV channel. “Our redoubtable artists no longer have place on the screens of «Pro TVs» - the gypsy music replaced them (…) the «independent press» financed on gypsy music has no chance,” says the Premier’s message. Moreover, the official accuses indirectly the owners of media outlets of propagating nonobjective and misleading information, telling them to tell the people the truth.
“We thus signal with regret and concern that the messages disseminated by Prime Minister Ion Chicu defame the status of journalist and contain forms of expression that incite hatred toward media outlets. We repeatedly warn that hate speech has nothing to do with the freedom of expression, including on social networking sites,” said the signatories.
Also, the Premier’s adviser on communication Vitalie Dragancea, making statements for the paper “Ziarul de Gardă”, launched attacks on journalists, saying the Government does not need the press to annihilate the emerging false reports.
The NGOs demand that Premier Chicu and his adviser should present public apologies to the representatives of the media, in particular to Pro TV channel, and stop disseminating unfounded accusations and defamatory information and should refrain from any form of expression that incite hatred toward journalists in the future.
The statement was signed by the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press, the Electronic Press Association, the Center “Acces-Info”, the Committee for the Freedom of the Press, the Journalistic Investigations Center, the Association of Independent Tele-Journalists and RISE Moldova.
The ombudsman also reacted, saying the attacks on the media are attacks on democracy. The attempts to suppress the critical voices are alarming and the fact that these come from high-ranking officials is even more alarming. “The fact that the intimidating messages incite violence against journalists of particular media outlets and generate hatred and division between people is as alarming and dangerous,” said the ombudsman, noting such behavior is unacceptable as it contributes to a general atmosphere of intolerance and fear and can act as a stimulus for new cases of violence and harassment against the pres.
The ombudsman reminds that besides the commitments related to the guaranteeing of the freedom of expression and freedom of the press, undertaken by the Republic of Moldova, the authorities are also obliged to protect the human rights defenders, which include the mass media.
