People’s ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai expresses his concern over the media signals about possible attempts to hamper the participation of persons from some of the country’s districts in the civil society protest of September 6, IPN reports.
According to a press release of the Office of the People’s Ombudsman, the trains running on the Ocnita-Chisinau and Ungheni-Chisinau routes weren’t put on routes in the morning of September 6 for the reason that they broke down. There were also signals about the halting of the transmission of Jurnal TV channel, which broadcast live the events that took place in the Great National Assembly Square, in particular districts by the national carrier Moldtelecom and some cable operators. This is another reason for concern about the functioning of the democratic mechanisms in Moldova.
The people’s ombudsman says the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly and association represent fundamental freedoms enshrined in the country’s Constitution and the international treaties to which Moldova is a party. The ensuring and guaranteeing of these freedoms is an obligation of the state. The participation of the people in the social life by different actions, including protests, and the access to different information of importance for the general public represent not only guaranteed rights, but also a state of normality in a democratic, modern society.
Mihail Cotorobai requests the Ministry of Transport and Road Infrastructure and the state-owned Moldova’s Railways to examine the circumstances in which the Ocnita-Chisinau and Ungheni-Chisinau train routes were suspended. He also asks the Broadcasting Coordination Council and Moldtelecom to determine the circumstances of the halt in the transmission of Jurnal TV in particular periods of time on September 6.
The ombudsman calls on decision makers of these and other public institutions to take the necessary measures so as not to allow actions that would hamper the exercise of the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms in the future.
