NGOs slams police for not reacting in altercations in front of Prosecutor's Office

Five human rights dealing NGOs slammed the lack of reaction of the police in the altercations in front of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) on Tuesday, February 3. In Info-Prim Neo's office, leaders and representatives of Amnesty International (AI) Moldova, the Center of Resources for Human Rights (CReDO), Hyde Park, the Human Rights Institute and Promo-Lex called journalists, on Wednesday, to a public sitting during which they analyzed the conduct of the police during the meeting, when then they were attacked by at least 9 individuals. The human rights activists were at a protest meeting in front of the GPO to support the freedom to assembly, where they were aggressed by masked people who sprayed paint at them. According to the organizers, the police did not get involved to separate the protesters from counter-protesters, they they say they called the 902 service repeatedly. The organizers say there were at least two police cars nearby. Moreover, neither the police officer guarding the entrance into the GPO's quarters intervened and even blocked the access to several journalists willing to enter to protect themselves from aggressors. “The police have failed the exam again. Large men, well-fed and well-equipped,” said Igor Grosu, the president of the council of AI Moldova. He had his head bandaged because of the hits he had got from attackers. “I watched the news and there was a dissonance between the reports on the altercations at the meeting and the report on the US Government donating equipment to the Moldovan police,” Igor Grosu added. Promo-Lex president Ion Manole has said he has requested for information from the GPO and the police as to Tuesday's events, and Igor Grosu from Amnesty International says he prepares evidence to go to court. Pavel Postica, a lawyer with Promo-Lex, has said he had called the police commissariat Tuesday to come and certify the incident, but got the answer “the police does not gather garbage.” The protesters shows photos with the faces of several attackers, and the incident was filmed by them and the Chisinau media. They brought a mask and several spray of the attackers to the sitting to use them as evidence in case the law-enforcing bodies decide to probe the case. The sitting was attended by an ombudsman from the Human Rights Center, Oleg Efrim, who considers “inadmissible the behavior of the authorities called to ensure the freedom of assemblies, they breeched all the obligations that the state has in realizing the freedom of assembly provided by the Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights.” The ombudsman added the Human Rights Center will ask for explanations from the law-enforcing bodies on the case. When asked by Info-Prim Neo, Tudor Capatana, senior specialist with the PR Bureau of the Police General Commissariat, has said that “the problem is bigger, since, after the law on assemblies entered force (April 2008 – e.n.), the Chisinau City Hall permanently does not inform the police on planned meetings, in due time.” “After being notified, the City Hall should inform the police in order to ensure the protection of meeting participants, and yesterday's case showed protection is necessary under certain circumstances.” According to the PR assistant, the City Hall did not inform the police about that meeting. “The Police Commissariat is in the situation when it has to inform itself about the rallies planned to take place in Chisinau,” said Tudor Capatana. “We learnt of the fight only after it was over,” he said. When asked why the 902 team did not intervene, the officer has said nobody called for that service, “the recordings have been checked up.” Tudor Capatana has confirmed the police is probing the case, following complaints from meeting participants. The press center of the Interior Ministry announces the ministry is leading its investigation and will announce the results in due time. The GPO's press service does not have any comments yet.