An initiative group of the International Youth Union staged a protest with books in the Romanian language in support of the Moldovan-administered Latin-script schools working in Transnistria. The young people called on the authorities and the Transnistrian administration to respect the Transnistrians’ right to study in the language they want, IPN reports.

The protest was mounted in front of the head office of the OSCE Mission in Chisinau, during the meeting of the political representatives of Chisinau and Tiraspol Eugen Carpov and Nina Shtanski. The young people chanted “Don’t touch the schools” and said that the parents, students and teachers of these institutions are real heroes that deserve respect.

Attending the event, Promo-LEX Association executive director Ion Manole said the whole society must make common cause with these schools as there are signals that they will be unable to work after September 1. Promo-LEX demands that Russia should fulfill its obligations and should pay the damages awarded by the ECHR in the case of these schools.

Ion Manole considers that penalties must be imposed on the persons who are to blame for the difficult situation of the Latin-script schools.

After the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Eugen Carpov said they cannot impose penalties in this respect, but can only have a dialogue. For her part, Nina Sttanski said that before staging such protests, civil society should inform itself. She noted that the population from the left bank of the Nistru can study several languages, including Romanian and the right to education is not infringed there.