Promo-LEX is asking the Moldovan authorities to promptly and efficiently investigate the death of Oleg Horjan, the former leader of the Transnistrian region’s Communist Party, who was killed in “suspicious circumstances” in his home, and present the results of the probe. According to the human rights group, Oleg Horjan was a victim of the Tiraspol regime, being one of the few public figures who “had the courage to fight for fundamental rights and freedoms”.

“In recent years Oleg Horjan had acted as a defender of human rights, both through his political statements and through initiatives to support groups of people who were or continue to be victims of the Tiraspol regime”, Promo-LEX said in a statement.

“It is not the first time that civic or political activists are persecuted for their opinions or their actions in relation to the repressive regime of Tiraspol. However, the murder of a person must be condemned as such”.

Promo-LEX is also asking the Moldovan authorities to notify and seek the involvement of relevant international organizations in monitoring and protecting human rights in the Transnistrian region, and to ensure the protection of activists who speak out against human rights violations in the Transnistrian region. Moreover, the organization demands that those responsible for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region be sanctioned, including through movement restrictions and freezing of assets within Moldovan territory.

The local police reported that Horjan’s body was found by his wife lying beside an opened and emptied strongbox in their home, suggesting the murder could have a financial motive.

Formerly a local opposition lawmaker, Horjan was released from jail in December 2022 after spending almost four and a half years in detention in what was widely believed to be a politically motivated case.