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38 civil society organizations submitted today an Appeal to the Moldovan authorities, pointing out the unprecedented situation of the Promo-LEX Association and require measures to ensure security for the members of the association. However, signatory organisations ask the diplomatic missions and the international organizations to intervene beside the unconstitutional administration with the request to provide guarantees for representatives of the NGO sector working in Transnistrian region.

The Appeal was published on 17 April 2015, after the the so-called “State Security Committee” (local KGB) of the Transnistrian region issued a statement. This document referred to the activity of the civil society organizations from the Transnistrian region, which are funded by foreign donors. The self-proclaimed authority labels the activity of such organizations as being directed against the unrecognized and illegal statehood on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. The activity of civil society organizations, especially of the “Promo-LEX” Association, is labeled as being directed against the “statehood” of the unrecognized region and respectively, a criminal investigation was initiated.

The signatory organisations highlights that the Promo-LEX Association activity in the area of human rights is well known. The most relevant fields include the right to education, freedom and security, freedom of movement, right to property, right to life, prohibition of torture and other cruel treatments, right to a fair trial, domestic violence, freedom of association, access to information, non-discrimination, assurance of free and fair elections, and others. For its efforts, including for the promotion and defence of human rights in the Transnistrian region, the Association was awarded by national and international organizations. The Association has a brave team, which assumed the role of promotion and defense of citizens from the Transistrian region, regardless of their ethnicity and citizenship, defending their rights and freedoms at the local level (of the left bank of the Nistru River), in the justice system of the Republic of Moldova and in the European Court of Human Rights.

The signatory organisations express their solidarity, support and concern for the security and integrity of the persons who work in the Non-Government Organisations from the Transintrian region, in particular “Promo-LEX” Association. The signatories of this statement require:

1. Public condemnation of unconstitutional government’s actions taken on a constant base against the civil society from the region, as well as against “Promo-LEX” Association;
2. OSCE Mission in Moldova to urgently intervene with the unconstitutional government and request guarantees for representatives of the associative sector who carry out their activities in that region.
3. Provision of guarantees and security and protective measures by the constitutional authorities, which are required for the ordinary activity of the “Promo-LEX” Association team, including considering the possibility to initiate a criminal or administrative prosecution of the persecution activities;
4. Inclusion, as a matter of priority, of this exceptional and unprecedented case on the agenda of negotiations in 5+2 format on the settlement of Transnistrian conflict, and on the agenda of other national and international authorities;
5. Insisting on the promotion, monitoring and defense of human rights in the territory controlled by the de facto authorities of Tiraspol.

The full text of the Appeal see here.