NGOs denounce infringements of journalists’ rights by politicians

Several media NGOs have expressed their concern over the recent cases of restricted access to public events for journalists. Six NGOs signed a declaration stating that, despite last year’s encouraging developments in the area of freedom of press, the recent infringements of the journalists’ rights prove that the politicians’ commitment to respecting and promoting European values isn’t a sincere one, Info-Prim Neo reports. The declaration is a reaction to the incident on January 29, when acting President Marian Lupu’s bodyguards didn’t allow journalist Oleg Brega to enter the National Opera and Ballet Theater. Brega was trying to attend a concert dedicated to prosecutors on their professional day. Moreover, on the same day, the press couldn’t attend the meeting of Democratic Party’s National Council, which took place in a hotel in Chisinau. On January 31, journalists from Adevarul Moldova, Jurnal TV and StireaZilei.md were denied access to the building of the Ministry of Agriculture, where Deputy Speaker Vladimir Plahotniuc was holding a press briefing. The NGOs condemn preferential access of journalists to public events as antidemocratic and inadmissible. The authors of the declaration request the Parliament, political parties, politicians and officials to adopt an European approach in relation to the press. The signatory NGOs are the Center of Independent Journalism, the Association of Electronic Press, the Center of Journalistic Investigations, the Association of Independent Press, Access-Info Center and the Committee for Freedom of Press.