Promo-Lex calls on international community to take attitude in cases of Vardanyan and Cazac

The Promo-Lex Association made an appeal to the Moldovan authorities and the international community, especially Moscow and the OSCE, urging them to contribute to the immediate and unconditional release of Ernest Vardanyan and Ilie Cazac, who are “in the custody” of the Tiraspol administration, Info-Prim Neo reports. Promo-Lex calls upon the authorities of Moldova and Russia to set up a commission of independent experts to visit the region and inspect the conditions in which Ernest Vardanyan, Ilie Cazac and other people in the region’s prisons are detained and treated. The NGO also urges the Ukrainian authorities to introduce travel restrictions on the Transnistrian region’s leadership and the members of their families, while the international community to ban travels to the EU until the case of Vardanyan is solved. Civil society, the Moldovan authorities and a number of international organizations expressed their concern about the sentencing of Ernest Vardanyan to 15 years in prison by the Transnistrian regime for treason and espionage for Moldova. Ilie Cazac’s parents are also concerned about the fate of their son, who has been in custody for nine months and faces 20 years in prison on the same charges as Ernest Vardanyan. In a news conference on Monday, they said that their son is a victim of political games involving Russia. Ernest Vardanyan and Ilie Cazac were arrested in spring on charges of treason and spying for Moldova.