PL leader expects to be arrested

The leader of the Liberal Party (PL), Mihai Ghimpu, expects the authorities to start arresting opposition politicians. He made the statement at a news conference on Monday, June 8, at which the PL criticized a film about the April 7 protests, aired by the private TV channel NIT on June 7. Ghimpu believes the film titled: “Attack on Moldova” is broadcast to prepare the public opinion about possible arrests of opposition politicians, Info-Prim Neo reports. In the documentary they interview only president Vladimir Voronin, the head of the Service of Information and Security (SIS), Artur Resetnicov, and general prosecutor Valeriu Gurbulea. In the film, they try to accredit the idea that the violent mass revolt of April 7 would have been staged either by the opposition parties, or by political organizations from Romania, but its authors bring no direct charges. Mihai Ghimpu and PL's deputy president Dorin Chirtoaca say the authors did not ask for their opinion, although both are shown in the film. “They have done what they want with this republic”, Ghimpu has said about the Communists (PCRM). “And now, when they have figured out that we have used the right they had used in 2000, they have found the opposition parties guilty of coup d'etat,” he said, meaning the triggering of the early elections. “Where has it been seen that the general prosecutor, who is responsible for supervising the inquest, should give assessments before ending this inquest?” the Liberal president asked himself. “We'll have to consult the European institutions: what kind of elections we're going to have, as promised by the Communists to the European institutions before April 5, and now,” said the PL leader, expressing doubt that the authorities will be able to hold free and fair elections. Mayor of Chisinau and the PL's deputy president Dorin Chirtoaca has said the film showed tapping of his phone talks, which were montaged. “What has been done in the denigrating material broadcast by that station means gravely violating any rules, not only journalistic, but also human rights,” Chirtoaca said. “Illegally tapping phone talks shows there are no limits in Moldova. By montaging phone talks anyone can be accused of anything,” the general mayor said. Another key-figure from the PL, Corina Fusu, has told the conference that: “To be a journalist or a media outlet does not mean to be a killer, a propagandist. At the meeting with the PL faction in the Parliament, when we asked that “Teleradio-Moldova” offers equal airtime to all the opinions and political actors, Vladimir Voronin clearly said: no, no and no.” Reports on monitoring Chisinau TV stations, compiled by the Electronic Press Association (APEL), find that NIT has favored the authorities and the PCRM politicians before and after the April 5 elections, denigrating the opposition at the same time.