Every year, on 2^nd March, residents of the village Corjova, Dubasari, organize ceremonies to commemorate the victims of the armed conflict on the Nistru river of 1992. Although the village is controlled by Moldovan constitutional authorities, every year, [Transnistrian] militsia and so-called security service intimidate participants in this event.

According to the locals, the militsia tore apart the invitations to attend the ceremony posted by the organizers, and in the morning before the event, representatives of the Cossack troops were seen in the community threatening residents not to attend the event.

Intimidation of participants to the ceremony is possible including do to the large number of militsia men and special equipments. After the memorial service at the local church, the mourners went to the cemetery to lay flowers, where they held several public speeches. They were escorted and supervised by local militsia the whole time.

Threatened every year with various sanctions, the organizers were forced to give up hoisting state flag and singing the national anthem.

It is not only on 2^nd March that Corjova village residents are intimidated and under pressure  – they face serious human rights violations almost every day, which is why the number of participants in the commemorations constantly declines. People are afraid to exercise their right to freedom of assembly, which is guaranteed by the Constitution of Moldova.

Note that, in previous years, on this day, fire trucks blocked the village roads, and access to the village by car registered in Moldova was prohibited. There have also been cases when rallies organized by civilians were met wth provocations. In 2011, the militsia has illegally arrested the mayor of Corjova, Valeriu Mitul, and local councilor Iurie Coţofan, who attended peace march to commemorate those killed in the tragic war on the Nistru river held that year.

For more details, contact: Alexandru Postica, Program Director with Promo-LEX, lawyer, tel: (22) 450024, GSM: 069104851, email: [email protected].