Students and teachers of the Theoretical Lyceum “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant” of Grigoriopol, which is now based in Dorotcaia, together with representatives of Promo-LEX Association, on October 19 mounted a protest in front of the Embassy of Russia in Chisinau. They demanded to ensure the right to education in the Transnistrian region and to implement the ECHR judgment passed five years ago by which Russia was found guilty of violating the right to education of 170 plaintiffs, IPN reports.
“Promo-LEX” director Ion Manole said that today it is exactly five years of the day the ECHR pronounced its judgment, but this hasn’t been yet implemented by Russia. “The rights of these people continue to be violated. The number of students at these education institutions decreases. As the European Court ascertained itself, this is not due to demographical factors only, but also to the pressure to which the students, parents and teachers of these institutions are subject. We just want the Court’s decision to be respected and implemented so that these students study according to their rights and convictions,” stated Ion Manole.
Director of the Theoretical Lyceum “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant” of Grigoriopol Eleonora Cherkavski said that their right to education has been violated for ten years. Though the ECHR did justice to them five years ago, the struggle continues because nothing has changed. “We came to tell the Russian Federation that the wound is bleeding. It’s time to take measures. The Lyceum “Stefan cel Mare si Sfant” of Grigoriopol considers it has the most painful history. In 2002 we were driven away from Grigoriopol and for 15 years have had to daily travel to Dorotcaia together with the children so that they study in Romanian there. We consider this is abnormal,” she stated.
The Lyceum’s vice director Svetlana Jitariuc said they bear enormous responsibility for the children who daily travel by car to classes, in the second shift, now that the daytime decreases. The students return home from school when it is dark. “We demand equity, first of all, as we defended our right ourselves, but with enormous sacrifice, by assuming responsibility for the fate of these children,” she stated.
Security expert Rosian Vasiloi expressed his solidarity with the students and teachers of Moldovan-administered, Romanian-language schools based in Transnistria. According to him, the situation of these children and teachers worsens, but the Moldovan authorities, especially the presidential administration that plays Russia’s game, keep silent. He called on the students from Chisinau to make common cause with their mates from the Transnistrian region.
The protesters later marched to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and to the Presidential Building to demand that the authorities should take steps for the ECHR judgment of October 19, 2012 to be implemented and the right to education on the left side of the Nistru to be respected.
