Police tongue-tie protesting pensioners in downtown Chisinau

The public association “Salvgardare” (“Safeguard”) is accusing the police of perturbing a rally of pensioners, who gathered on Tuesday, May 13, in Chisinau's central square to deplore their living conditions. The protesters were deprived of their megaphones and banners with which they hoped to raise public awareness. The association's chairwoman Maia Laguta declared that the smooth running of the event had been compromised from the very beginning. Some minutes before the start of the rally, police officer approached the protesters and forbade them to use their bullhorns. The driver of the vehicle carrying the loudspeaker system was told to leave it loaded. “This is another violation of the recently enacted freedom of assembly law”, Laguta said. The pensioners assembled in the central square to lament their everyday problems. The elderly complained about the size of their pensions, which do not cover their basic needs. The protesters asked for higher pensions and benefits and demanded lower utility bills. Also, the pensioners accused the government of playing dishonest games and of capitalizing on dubious privatization schemes. For instance, the privatized residential blocks haven't yet passed in the hands of the residents' associations that privatized them, and this causes a multitude of problems in the relationship with the public utilities. Maia Laguta said the intention of the rally was to make the government stop the illegalities and the defective reforms in the housing sector. The public association “Salvgardare” was founded in 2005 and professes to be a consumer watchdog organization.