“Journalists in Moldova are separated into ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ones, as the government brands inconvenient media outlets as ‘pro-Russian and war propagandists’”, stated journalist Svetlana Curmei, member of the Stop Media Ban group, which was launched in a press conference today.
According to Svetlana Curmei, journalists who are inconvenient for the government are denied access to important events. Last December, six Moldovan television channels were stripped of licenses and, Curmei says, it was done in violation of the law.
Corneliu Ciurea, a political pundit, said that the government “equates war propaganda with the work done by Moldovan television channels that do not say pleasant things about the current government”.
“Last year, 38 organizations signed a petition against the European Commission’s initiative to change the law and allow the introduction of the state of emergency, and this petition was successful. We also hope that, together with these organizations, even if the situation at the moment is unfavorable, we can familiarize the authorities in the region with regard to the incorrectness of imposing censorship and abusing freedom of expression. And this solidarity, together with the partners in the region, will bear fruit eventually”, added Corneliu Ciurea.
Journalist Ludmila Belchenkova said that today it’s very difficult to be a journalist who is not politically affiliated. “We the journalists of the six channels whose license was temporarily suspended, as they say, have been noticing a discriminatory attitude for a long time, immediately the power changed in the country. The government likes very much to invite to meetings, round tables what they call the leaders of public opinion. And this category includes journalists from pro-government TV channels, leaders of non-governmental organizations, those people who do not criticize the government. But journalists from the opposition press are never invited”, claims the journalist.
