The ombudsman expresses his concern about the intensification of the aggressive and intolerant messages aimed at representatives of the Moldovan diaspora and of hate speech among the Moldovan diaspora aimed at the Moldovan authorities. Mihail Cotorobai says messages hostile to the Moldovan citizens who returned or plan to return home given the global novel coronavirus pandemic are more frequently distributed in the public sphere, IPN reports.

In a press release, the Ombudsman’s Office says the representatives of the Moldovan diaspora are considered to blame for the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Moldova. They are accused of irresponsibility because they neglected the quarantine norms. In particular cases, distorted information about the cause of the local spread of COVID-19 is disseminated, implying that the people who recently returned from abroad ignored the epidemiological rules and gave parties in times of a pandemic, propagating this way the infection in their localities.

Mihail Cotorobai says such reasons for the spread of the coronavirus in Moldova are possible and he disapproves of such attitudes that endanger public health and security and they should be penalized in accordance with the law. Aloes, some of the Moldovans who are now abroad show lack of understanding of the situation in which the national authorities work, aiming insulting and licentious messages at them. Such speech and positions are condemnable as there is no place for hatred, discrimination and social exclusion in the fight against the pandemic.

The ombudsman repeatedly calls on the citizens to show solidarity and social responsibility and not to allow discrimination, hatred and intolerance. “COVID-19 is a serious global challenge, but also an opportunity to bring back into focus and revitalize the universal human rights principles. These principles and confidence in scientific progress should prevail over the dissemination of fake news, prejudice, discrimination, inequality and violence,’” said Mihail Cotorobai.