Promo-LEX Association expressed its concern about the growing pressure exerted on the Romanian-language education institutions in Transnistria and the lack of visible efforts on the part of the constitutional authorities and players involved in the process of settling the Transnistrian conflict, IPN reports.

In a communiqué, Promo-LEX says the students of one of these institutions were intimidated and scared by the local militia by the way they entered the institution during classes, ill-treating a teacher. On December 9, the administration of the Tiraspol Lyceum “Lucian Blaga” was contacted again and was threatened with administrative penalties in the form of a fine of up to 2,600 lei for the non-provision of information about the employees and their salaries.

The same situation repeats in the case of the Rybnitsa Lyceum “Evrika”. The lyceum’s administration was told to present the institution’s statistical and accounting reports to the separatist administration, these reports also containing personal data. They are also forced to present themselves at the town administration in order to take a certificate for the allocation of the tax code. The administrations of the Romanian-language education institutions didn’t ask for such a certificate. It is imposed in order to gain certain control over these schools.

Promo-LEX notes that these acts by the Transnistrian administration follow the adoption by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of a statement on the monitoring of the case of Catan and another 170 against Moldova and Russia. The plaintiffs complained that they are persecuted by the Transnistrian authorities as their children are banned from studying Romanian and using the Latin Script and are obliged to study subjects invented by the Transnistrian regime. This is against the values of a democratic society and does not correspond to the views of the parents (plaintiffs in this case). The Committee of Ministers asked the Russian authorities to swiftly provide relevant information in the form of a plan of action or reports on the implementation of this statement.

Promo-LEX calls on the sides involved in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process to take into account the importance of ensuring free access to education in the region, the security of the children and administrations of the Moldovan-administered education institutions being a priority.