Volunteers Union seeks recognition of war volunteers

The National Council of the Volunteers Union of Moldova requests the authorities to recognize the volunteers of the Nistru war. Otherwise, they will sue the state and will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if need be. The volunteers also demand emergency medical care for some of the war participants, who must immediately undergo operations that are costly, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference on Monday, the NGO's head Sergiu Caracai said the refusal to adopt a law on the legal status of war volunteers led to the worsening of the situation of the war participants and the lack of jobs and medical care for them. Many volunteers died of diseases, while others committed suicide. Most of them are aged between 45 and 50. “The state always rejected our requests. From 2009, we have supported the Alliance for European Integration, but it didn't help us either. Our situation has worsened since then,” said Sergiu Caracai. He also said that as three is no law on the legal status of war volunteers, some of the politicians openly insult the volunteers, calling them bandits and terrorists. Sergiu Caracai also said that the decision to sue the authorities was adopted by the National Council of the Volunteers Union in a meeting on January 30. According to the NGO's leader, the Volunteers Union of Moldova has 29,000 members. They represent civil society and do not form part of the Ministry of the Interior or the army. In 1992, the volunteers defended Moldova's statehood and integrity in the Nistru war.