Police official accused of collaborating with Transnistrian militsiya

In a Declaration published today, a group of NGOs are condemning the actions of Col. Gheorghe Tretiacov, head of the Criminal Police Department, and Vitalie Panis, director of the Center for Personal Data Protection, whom they are accusing of collaborating with the separatist Tiraspol regime. The signatories in particular claim that Gheorghe Tretiacov provided to the illegitimate Transnistrian police agencies personal information on six Moldovan citizens, including Vitalie Eriomenco, who was subsequently detained by the Tiraspol regime. The Declaration says that Gheorghe Tretiacov's actions are covered up, among others, by the director of the Center for Personal Data Protection Vitalie Panis, who refused to react when notified about the violation, justifying Tretiacov's actions by citing two cooperation agreements between the Moldovan Interior Ministry and the Transnistrian “law enforcement agencies”, even though those agreements were abolished in 2005. The signatories believe that Gheorghe Tretiacov violated Moldova's independence, sovereignty, territorial unity and indivisibility. “We consider that, unless they resign honorably, Gheorghe Tretiacov and Vitalie Panis must undergo disciplinary proceedings and face disciplinary penalties which are commensurate with the gravity of the violations”. Signatories include Promo-LEX Association, the Legal Resource Center, the Tiraspol-based Association of Mothers for Human Rights, the Grigoriopol-based NGO Integritate, the Human Rights Resource Center (CreDO), and the Center for Rehabilitation of Torture Victims “Memoria”, the Association of Lawyers for Human Rights. The Declaration is open to be signed by any interested organization.