Promo-LEX and principals of Latin-script schools urge execution of ECHR judgment

The Moldovan authorities, Ukraine as a mediator in the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, the United States, the European Union and the OSCE as observers, and most importantly, the Russian Federation, are urged to take every step to carry out the recent judgment passed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which found Russia responsible for violating the right to education of pupils at three lyceums in Bender, Rybnitsa and Grigoriopol. The request was expressed in a resolution signed by the human rights group Promo-LEX and the principals of the three schools, Info-Prim Neo reports. Lawyer Ion Manole, executive director of Promo-LEX, stated at a news conference on Monday that it was hard to work on this case considering the emotional state and despair of the plaintiffs. All the eight schools that use the Latin script in the Transnistrian region had been affected, and the cases brought before the ECHR have somewhat moderated the actions of the region's administration. Alexandru Postica, a lawyer with Promo-LEX who represented the plaintiffs before the Court, said that the resolution particularly demands the exclusion from the region's so-called legislation of provisions that restrict the right to use the Romanian language in its Latin-script form. “We also request the annulment of the decisions to evict these lyceums from their original buildings, and I really don't see why these buildings shouldn’t be given back to the plaintiffs without delay. To ensure observance of the rights of the people living in this region, it is necessary to annul the requirement for the educational establishments that follow curricula established by the Moldovan central authorities to register with the so-called recording bodies in the region”, said Alexandru Postica. The lawyer also mentioned the need to remove any interdiction to bring Latin-script books, textbooks and other materials into the Transnistrian region. Eugenia Halus, the principal of the Rybnitsa-based lyceum “Evrika”, one of the applicant schools, revealed that the building from which they were evicted is now falling into dilapidation. The lyceum has been forced to seek accommodation in a kindergarten building that belongs to the Rybnitsa Steelworks, for which the Ministry of Education pays the rent. “We were told that if we didn't like the rules, we were free to cross the river to Rezina and found a school there. But we were born in Rybnitsa, our children were born in Rybnitsa, and the parents pay taxes to this town, meaning the children have every right to be given an education here”, said Eugenia Halus. Maria Roibu, the principal of the Bender-based lyceum “Alexandru cel Bun”, noted that the number of pupils decreased dramatically, from over 2,000 in 2000 to around 570 at present. “Justice has triumphed, but there were some who weren't so patient. The price we've paid is the children's health. We don't have a gym, a cafeteria, and the pupils have to rise with the sun to manage to catch the school bus”, said Maria Roibu. The students have to get to the opposite side of the town to go to school, covering 27 kilometers each day. Maria Roibu trusts that with the ECHR judgment in place, the parents who earlier transferred they children to Russian schools fearing repression will now perhaps reconsider and choose Romanian-language schools. Eleonora Cercavschi, the principal of the Lyceum “Stefan cel Mare” in Grigoriopol, stated that the ECHR judgment represents a “triumph of truth over falsehood” and confirms the Russians' support for the separatist regime. “The Moldovan Government should learn a lesson of dignity from these children who stood up for the truth, and the Russians should learn geography and not mistake the Nistru for the Volga”, said Eleonora Cercavschi. The ECHR has ordered the Russian Federation to pay a total of 1.07 million euros in damages and 50,000 euros in court expenses to the plaintiffs. Promo-LEX is representing 57 other cases before the ECHR filed against Russia and Moldova in relation to various human rights violations committed against people living in the eastern districts of Moldova.