In the period of April and May 2018, a group of residents of Tiraspol, Transnistrian region, requested, at least 8 times, the representatives of Tiraspol administration to authorize several public meetings. Through public meetings, citizens wanted to express their dissatisfaction with the social problems that are aggravating in the Transnistrian region. In all the eight cases, the region’s administration refused to authorize assemblies for unjustifiable reasons.
Even if the Tiraspol City administration did not authorize the requested meetings, on 2 June 2018, a group of people held a public meeting. In the meeting, they criticized representatives of the Transnistrian administration for the poor social conditions existing in the Transnistrian region.
On 3 June 2018, militia representatives in the region detained about 40 people that attended the meeting of 2 June 2018. The persons detained were escorted to the militia headquarters in the city of Tiraspol. The reason for their detention, referred to by militia representatives in the region, is the illegal nature of the public gathering of 2 June 2018.
Relatives of the persons detained have reported that in some cases, militia representatives applied physical force, verbally insulted the people, forbid them to use the toilet, requested them to sign documents with unclear content. So far, the exact number of people detained and the reason for their detention is unknown.
On 4 June 2018, the regional judges sanctioned the participants in the public meeting of 2 June 2018 in connection with the alleged violation of order in a public assembly. Punishments in the form of administrative detention for up to 15 days, including fines, have been applied.
The press conference organized by the citizen Oleg Horjan offers more details of the case.
Promo-LEX Association condemns the mass violations of human rights that are taking place in the region, following the public meetings organized.
The Promo-LEX Association appeals to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova to investigate the violation of the right to freedom of assembly, the right not to be subjected to torture, the right to freedom and security, as well as other violations, committed in the above mentioned period.