Nistru war veterans to support comrades with protests

Nistru war veterans announce they will picket the Presidency, the Parliament, the Government and the Chisinau City Hall on September 17, in solidarity with two comrades, first-degree disabled, who lost their legs in the 1992 military conflict. The former fighters will ask the authorities to give the disabled money to buy prostheses, Info-Prim Neo reports. Valeriu Ciobanu, the secretary of the veterans association, told a news conference on Monday that Pavel Berzan, aged 42, and Grigore Barcaru, aged 32, had repeated addressed the central and Chisinau authorities. Yet all their petitions were sent from one agency to another and thus remained unanswered. Pavel Berzan and Grigore Barcaru have also asked for help from companies. The prostheses used now by the two war crippled are worn out and traumatize their limbs, Valeriu Ciobanu says. New prostheses will allow them to walk with no crutch and no pain. The total expenses to be incurred to treat those two amount to 40,000 euros. “They are not some homeless, they are heroes having defended the honor of the country and Government and the Government shall take care of them,” he said. Because of health problems Pavel Berzan and Grigore Barcaru could not attend the news conference. The former fighters informed the City Hall about the protest drive to be attended by some 30 veterans, but they do not rule out “thousands may come.”