The situation of the media in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia has worsened further last year after the local People’s Assembly approved a new broadcasting law to impose censorship on the local media and to substitute the licensing duties of the central public authorities, in breach of the national legislation, chairman of the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) Dinu Ciocan said when presenting the Council’s progress report for 2016 in Parliament on May 5, IPN reports.

According to Dinu Ciocan, as a result of the actions of the People’s Assembly, 15 audiovisual service distributors continue to illegally work in Gagauzia. These do not possess retransmission authorizations and broadcast licenses issued by the BCC. Therefore, the Council notified the State Chancellery so that this challenges the illegalities of the People’s Assembly in court.

Also, eight clandestine cable networks were identified last year in a number of districts of the country. The BCC informed the police and the State Tax Service about these. Dinu Ciocan said 24 broadcast licenses and 23 retransmission authorizations were issued in 2016. As a result of the detected irregularities, two of the licenses were withdrawn.

Asked by the MPs about the causes for the decline of people’s trust in the mass media, revealed by opinion polls, Dinu Ciocan stated the people should be those who penalize the mass media for the way in which these cover the events, while the BCC cannot interfere in the editorial policy of broadcasters.

Communist MP Inna Supac said the party of which she forms part considers the BCC should be disbanded as it became a political instrument in the hands of those who rule the country. Dinu Ciocan replied that he was never politically influenced while serving on the BCC, as weren’t his colleagues who abide only by the Broadcasting Code in their work.