Representatives of civil society, in an event held to commemorate the April 2009 events, leveled criticism at the authorities for the defective handling of the April 7 case and for the fact that they haven’t yet done justice to the victims, IPN reports.
“Promo-LEX” Association representative Vadim Vieru said the authorities didn’t manage to reform the prosecutions service. During five years, there were examined slightly over 100 complaints over use of torture at a time when unofficial statistics show that more than 700 young people were ill-treated. The Moldovan courts of law passed no definitive conviction sentence against those who used torture in April 2009. At the same time, police officers, prosecutors and judges who then broke the law remained in their posts and were even promoted.
Vadim Vieru criticized the administration for doing almost nothing to rehabilitate the victims of torture and not at least one relevant mechanism exists. In Moldova, only one NGO provides assistance to victims of torture. This is the Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims “Memoria”.
Cristina Pereteatcu, president of Amnesty International Moldova, said only civil society wants the April 7 case to be solved. “The delay in examining the cases disappointed the hopes of the tortured young people and many of them emigrated, giving up looking for justice in the national courts,” she stated.
Sergiu Ostaf, of the Resource Center for Human Rights, said a situation similar to that of April 2009 can any time repeat as the police weren’t reformed, while the political class continues to control the legal system. “The police officers, prosecutors and magistrates will always obey the illegal orders of the ruling politicians in order to keep their posts as the current government didn’t manage to ensure the independence of the law enforcement bodies during five years,” he said.
Within the event, the Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims “Memoria” launched the book “I want to dream and fly again”, which contains the confessions of five young people tortured in April 2009.
