The Association “Promo-LEX” calls upon the constitutional authorities of Moldova to become involved and help release journalist Sergei Ilchenko, who is held in Tiraspol on charges of extremism. Transnistria’s KGB started a criminal case against members of the Association after these inquired about the journalist’s case. The KGB informed about the legal proceedings brought against “Promo-LEX” by a press release.
In a news conference at IPN, the Association’s lawyer Vadim Vieru said the journalist was arrested because he wrote articles critical of the regime. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Moldova does not have a tactic for investigating the cases started in the Transnistrian region. It seems that the state authorities do not have a clear strategy for intervening in such cases. Another conclusion is that the people from the region can be easily arrested for exercising their right to free expression. The cases of human rights violations are not discussed at the Transnistrian conflict settlement talks.
According to the lawyer, the recent kidnapping of persons from Vertiujeni village of Floresti district by employees of the Transnistrian militia shows that not even on the right side of the Nistru are the people protected from the abuses of the unconstitutional regime.
Sergei Ilchenko is in the process of obtaining Ukrainian nationality and the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko already announced that he will become involved for Ilchenko to be released. His son Nicolae, who made statements concerning the illegal detention of his father, moved to Chisinau for fear of not being arrested in Tiraspol.
The lawyer said the Prosecutor General’s Office must take immediate measures over this case. The Reintegration Office should become actively involved and help set free the journalist. The OSCE Mission is asked at least to make sure that Sergei Ilchenko is held in decent conditions, while the diplomatic community is requested to help elucidate this case.
According to Vadim Vieru, the Moldovan authorities avoid this theme at the talks so as not to cause new tensions in the negotiation process, while the case of Ilchenko could serve as a reason for Chisinau to make more concessions to Tiraspol.
