The role and mission of the OSCE in Moldova are very important in in keeping peace and in preventing conflicts. From the perspective of Promo-LEX, the lack of justice and of minimum guarantees for human rights cannot contribute to sustainable peace. In an interview for Radio Free Europe’s Moldovan Service, Promo-LEX director Ion Manole said the Association will continue to plead for guaranteeing a minimum set of rights for the inhabitants from the left side of the Nistru because both the European Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights say that any human beings is born with rights and there are about half a million human beings on that territory, IPN reports.
“I every time repeat that the human rights are violated almost everywhere, but for us, organizations, activists, lawyers who defend the human rights, it is very important to have efficient instruments or mechanisms by which the abuses or violations can be remedied or by which the people can be defended when they are subject to such abuses. In time we tried, including through the agency of international organizations with offices in Chisinau, to draw attention to this problem. We asked them to include subjects related to human rights or, rather, the lack of minimum guarantees for the people there in the agenda of the talks,” stated the Promo-LEX director.
Ion Manole said that after 15 years of work in this sector, he believes that the resident international organizations should be a model for the local and national authorities. The lack of consultations with organizations that come in touch with people is a negative signal. “Such consultations were practically absent at least during the past seven years and this is in no one’s favor. This disadvantages absolutely all the sides, especially the inhabitants and the authorities and also the OSCE mission as this cannot be efficient, especially because its representatives cannot go freely to Transnistria. We live in a democratic world. We must accept critical opinions as well,” he noted.
According to Ion Manole, things worsened not only as regards the human rights. The aspects that some of the politicians and diplomats treat as progress in the dialogue between the two sides of the Nistru cannot be sustainable without guaranteeing a minimum of human rights in the Transnistrian region.
Ion Manole also said it is important for persons who hold important posts, like the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office’s Special Representative for the Transnistrian Settlement Process Franco Frattini, to come in touch and discuss not only with “leaders” of the Transnistrian region, but also with its inhabitants and find out their opinions and see their problems, especially with human rights defenders, representative of civil society who daily deal with people’s problems, but stop at the door of national or international institutions.
