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Media NGOs point to increasing number of press intimidation cases

May 16, 2008
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The mass media NGOs say the number of cases when the press is intimidated has increased. In a statement, eight mass media nongovernmental organizations stress that through the senior authorities state that they stick to the principles of a free press, the cases when the journalists are intimidated, the rights to free expression are violated and the press is subdued rise in number.

This time, the authorities focused on the paper “Moldavskye Vedomosti”, which was subjected to financial controls by the Center for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime as part of a legal case instituted by the General Prosecutor’s Office over an alleged misappropriation of foreign property in extremely large amounts. Such an accusation was brought against the paper after it published materials advertising the Soroca Quarry.

According to the NGOs, this time again, the Prosecutor General’s Office ignored the law and did not inform the “MV” editorial office about the legal action taken against the paper and about the reasons why it was taken. Also, the editorial office was not asked to give testimony.
Another case is the three-day detention of journalist Oleg Brega, who was arrested for the simple intention to peacefully protest in front of the National Palace, where a festivity was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the public television. The police hindered Oleg Brega from approaching the National Palace, while the Buiucani District Court ruled that the placard with the inscription “50 Years of Lie “ carried by Brega was “injury” and sentenced him to three days under arrest, violating thus a number of legal provisions and international norms on the right to opinion and free expression.
The cameraman Ghenadie Brega, who accompanied Oleg Brega and filmed the incident with the police, was fined. On May 10, Ghenadie Brega, who was protesting in front of the Government against the detention of his brother, was ill-treated by police officers dressed in civilian, arrested and taken to the police department of Buiucani district, where he had been kept for 48 hours in inhuman and degrading conditions, being accused of insubordination, resistance and insult to the police.
The intention of the authorities to subdue the Opposition mass media and the critical voices also came out during the meetings of the Broadcasting Coordination Council held on May 7 and 8, when the Council distributed licenses for radio and TV frequencies.

In breach of the broadcasting legislation, none of the licenses put up for tender was offered to the stations that offer access to the Opposition or broadcast opinions critical of the present government. The radio station “Vocea Basarabiei” won none of the eight FM frequencies for which it applied. The media NGOs stress that this station applied for a frequency in Chisinau for the 26th time, but all in vain. Instead, the stations that belong to the political parties that ally with the ruling party, PRCM and PPCD, obtained over 20 frequencies.

According to the authors, the Council’s behavior shows that the decisions are made outside the Council, while its members express only biased interests.

The mass media NGOs ask the authorities to stop interfering in the activity of the Council and to punish the people that intimidate the mass media and mistreat the journalists.

The statement was signed by the Independent Journalism Center, the Independent Press Association, the Association of Electronic Press, the Journalistic Investigations Center, the Young Journalist’s Center, the Committee for the Freedom of the Press, the Union of Journalists of Moldova, Acces-Info Center // Reporter.MD

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