Promo-LEX: In the Absence of an Ongoing and Comprehensive Human Rights Monitoring in the Transnistrian Region, the Situation will Worsen

On 25 February 2016, the “Observance of Human Rights in the Transnistrian Region of the Republic of Moldova – Retrospective of 2015” was launched in a public event. Besides the presentation of the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region during 2015, the report is to highlight the major violations of human rights in the Transnistrian region.

Ion Manole, the executive director of Promo-LEX, emphasized: “Although we do not have access to the Transnistrian region since April 2015, Promo-LEX Association continues its remote monitoring. The problems that we noticed during those 12 years of activity in the region are mainly the same as the ones we notice now and the role of human rights defenders is to lay the stress on them and suggest solutions in this respect. The process of safeguarding and protecting human rights in the Transnistrian region needs a greater involvement and openness from the constitutional authorities and international actors’ side”.

Promo-LEX continues to draw attention upon the issue of torture and the lack of investigation mechanisms for torture acts in the Transnistrian region. Although the local administration, seemingly, took some initiatives to ensure the examination of such complaints, however, the role of institutions in charge for the prevention of the abuse is limited. Due to lack of elements of offence, the local investigation bodies do not initiate proceedings and the mechanism of appeal against allegations of torture still lacks efficiency. The victims taken in police custody are obliged to prove the facts they complained about.

The situation of detention centers remains unchanged. The major problems encountered are the small number of skilled doctors in prisons and the reduced quantity of medicines.

During 2015, several cases of violation of the right to liberty and security of person were monitored. It is about militia men who kidnapped people from the territory controlled by constitutional authorities, under the pretext that they committed some crimes. Four such cases have been brought to the Promo-LEX Association’s attention.

The violation of civil rights is alarming. The Decree on Combating Extremist Activity leads to negative effects on freedom of expression. We presented several cases of pressures on people sharing different views than those of the administration. The prerogatives of the decree to combat any initiatives, which, in our view, undermine region’s security, have left their mark on Non-Government Organisations and human rights defenders’ work, increasing the control upon their activity”, Alexandru Zubco, Promo-LEX lawyer and author of the report, emphasized.

Mihail Cotorobai, the Ombudsperson, was present at the event and mentioned that the problem of human rights in the Transnistrian region is on the agenda of the institution he represents. “We welcome the publication of the Promo-LEX report and believe that such documents are a very good alternative for being informed about the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region.” The Office of the Ombudsperson will analyze in details the findings and recommendations and, subsequently, they will be included in the Report to be submitted to the Parliament”, Mihail Cotorobai added.

Please find here the electronic version of the Report.

The event was organized under the Project “Strengthening the Observance of Human Rights in the Transnistrian Region of the Republic of Moldova”, implemented by Promo-LEX Association with the financial support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

For more details, please contact: Carolina Bondarciuc, Promo-LEX Press Officer: GSM 069637849, Tel/Fax (+373 22) 450024, e-mail: [email protected]