A group of NGOs call on the authorities to investigate the death of Andrei Braguta in jail and punish those to blame. In a public call, the nongovernmental organizations express their indignation at the fact that the authorities avoid assuming responsibility for the way in which the young man was arrested a for the non-provision of appropriate medical assistance that resulted in the death of the man who was in the custody and responsibility of the state, IPN reports.
The signatories ascertain with regret that the judges issue arrest warrants in over 90% of the cases based on prosecutors’ requests and insufficiently explain their decisions. Andrei Braguta was arrested on August 15 following an incident with the patrolling police. According to the prosecutor, when he was stopped, the young man was under the influence of alcohol. He was taken to the remand prison for 72 hours. Later he was accused of use of force against police officers. On August 18, the judge issued an arrest warrant for 30 days for him. Consequently, he was transferred to Penitentiary No. 13.
The NGOs note that since the case was made public, representatives of the state institutions made a number of contradictory statements as to the circumstances in which the person was arrested, his state of health and the circumstances of the transfer. Andrei Braguta died at the Pruncul Penitentiary on August 29. The signatories condemn the revealing of personal data about the man’s state of health and detention circumstances by state institutions. They say this concerted tactic affects human dignity.
The NGOs’ statement says that on September 1 the Chisinau Prosecutor’s Office started a criminal case over intentional causing of serious bodily injuries that resulted in death. The signatories call on the General Police Inspectorate to immediately open an internal inquiry and impose disciplinary punishment on those who used inhuman treatment against the young man and to regularly inform society about the investigation.
The Prosecutor General’s Office is requested to daily present official information about the initiated criminal proceedings and to ensure the investigation into the allegations of ill-treatment is conducted promptly and all those to blame are held accountable. The NGOs call upon the Superior Council of Magistracy to order to start disciplinary proceedings and impose harsh punishment on the judge who issued the arrest warrant for a person with visible signs of mental disability.
The Ministry of Justice is requested to conduct an internal inquiry to determine the circumstances in which Andrei Braguta was placed in common cells and why this wasn’t offered the necessary medical assistance. The Lawyers Union and the Commission of Ethics and Discipline are recommended to institute disciplinary proceedings against the lawyers who assisted the young man to establish if they committed irregularities or not and if they provided high-quality legal assistance in the required volume.
Among the signatories of the call are Amnesty International Moldova, Association of Independent Press, WatchDog.MD community, public association BIOS, Legal Resources Center of Moldova, Promo-LEX, Center “Memoria”, Transparency International-Moldova and lawyer Veronica Mihailov-Moraru.
