Three years later after a violent turmoil, Moldova did not bring justice to those affected
The tragic events which happened three years ago on April 7 have made several victims: teenagers beaten up to death and other youngsters and children kidnapped on the streets. The tragic event took place in 2009 after thousands of people took to the streets of Moldova’s capital of Chisinau to rally against the government. The demonstrators claimed the parliamentary election as fraudulent amid a large number of seats gained by the Communist Party within the National Parliament. Inhabitants of other large cities of Moldova also protested during that day.
Most of those who suffered during the protests are still waiting for justice, says Amnesty International Moldova in a report released today, four days ahead of the day when the country marks three years since the tragic incidents.
The international organization issued a comprehensive report named “Unfinished Business: Combating torture and ill-treatment in Moldova” which presents the problems which arouse during the events of April 7. The public document talks about the “excessively long preliminary detentions, poor detention conditions, failure of prosecutors to examine complaints about police behaviour promptly and effectively, failure to suspend police officers under investigation, who keep their jobs even after being convicted - a practice of lenient sentences for police officers.”
The report shows that at least 600 people were detained during the protests, while hundreds of them were beaten upon arrest and in “overcrowded police sections.”
“The Prosecutor General’s Office examined 108 complaints, of which only 58 have reached the courts. Magistrates pronounced convictions in two cases, applying suspended sentences in both of them. Up until now, 19 police officers have been acquitted,” according to Amnesty International.
The organization presented the case of Andrei Taraburca, whose complaint has never reached the courts. The European Court ruled that Andrei Taraburca had been tortured while in police custody and authorities failed to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation into his case.
“The ongoing failure three years on to deliver justice in respect of the blatant violations that took place in April 2009 is clear evidence that the fundamental problem of impunity for torture and other ill-treatment has not yet been solved,” said Heather McGill, Amnesty International Researcher for Moldova.
Considering the wrongdoings of the police and other Moldovan public authorities during the demonstrations, Amnesty International calls on Moldovan government to establish a completely independent agency that will investigate all complaints about human rights abuses by the police.
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