The Promo-LEX Association is launching the campaign “Freedom for Vadim Pogorletchi – 2 Years and 11 Months of Illegal Detention in Total Isolation,” aiming to raise public awareness of his situation and to call on the competent national authorities to take urgent action to ensure his unconditional release. Through this campaign, Promo-LEX seeks public solidarity and encourages the sharing of its message to draw attention to the case of Vadim Pogorletchi.
Vadim Pogorletchi has been unlawfully detained for over 1,000 days in inhuman conditions. He is accused by Transnistrian security structures of “high treason,” despite not holding the so-called “PMR citizenship.” He is also charged with “denying the positive role of the Russian peacekeeping forces.” For the alleged “high treason,” he faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison; for “denying the role of the peacekeeping forces,” up to 3 years.
Although his name appeared on the list of persons unlawfully deprived of their liberty, expected to be released under the conditions imposed on Tiraspol to allow the transit of natural gas to the region, Vadim Pogorletchi continues to be held in Prison No. 3 in Tiraspol. Nearly six months have passed since the list was submitted, yet this obligation remains unfulfilled, while gas transit has continued uninterrupted. All necessary measures must be taken to compel Tiraspol to comply with the agreed conditions concerning the release of those listed.
About Vadim Pogorletchi
Vadim Pogorletchi is a civic activist and human rights defender from Tiraspol, and a citizen of the Republic of Moldova. He is known for his public criticism of the illegal transnistrian structures operating on the left bank of the Nistru River. Over the years, he has exposed and denounced serious human rights violations in the Transnistrian region. Between 2000 and 2008, he served as administrator of several socio-political publications in the region, known for their outspoken opposition to the Tiraspol regime. His current detention is directly linked to his public statements and persistent criticism of that regime.
This is the second time Vadim Pogorletchi has been subjected to illegal detention in the Transnistrian region. Between 2010 and 2015, he was unlawfully imprisoned in Prison No. 1 in Tiraspol and the penitentiary in Hlinaia village. In 2019, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in his favor, confirming the serious violations of his fundamental rights during that earlier period of unlawful detention.
Nearly Three Years in Total Isolation. No Letters. No Calls. No News. Only Silence.
For almost three years, Vadim Pogorletchi has been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, denied access to medical care, and deprived of the right to correspondence. Since 2022, Vadim Pogorletchi has had no access to legal documents issued by the unrecognized authorities in the Transnistrian region, not even those confirming his detention. Moreover, the exact content of his alleged sentence remains unknown. No official document regarding his unlawful detention has been communicated to him, and the representatives of the Transnistrian regime refuse to provide any information about the grounds or the duration of the alleged unlawful prison sentence.
No information has been available regarding his health status since 2022. According to testimonies from former detainees released from unlawful detention facilities in the region, Vadim is being held in solitary confinement for extended periods, in degrading conditions. These testimonies describe unheated cells during winter, a lack of running water, overcrowding, cells infested with mold and parasites, food of such poor quality that survival depends on external supplies, and a complete absence of medical care. During the energy crisis earlier this year, Pogorletchi and others were held at temperatures as low as 5°C. He was placed in solitary confinement as punishment for offering support to fellow detainees. Throughout his detention, he has been kept in total isolation from the outside world, without the right to send or receive letters.
Promo-LEX Calls on the Authorities of the Republic of Moldova to:
Given the Republic of Moldova’s positive obligations to protect and support its citizens who are subjected to grave human rights violations by the Tiraspol regime and in light of the conditionalities tied to the natural gas transit to the region, we request the following:
- To urgently use all available mechanisms to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Vadim Pogorletchi;
- To ensure prompt access to an independent medical professional who can assess Vadim Pogorletchi’s current health condition and treatment needs.
We call on all of you to stand in solidarity with Vadim Pogorletchi and encourage you to share the campaign’s message to raise public awareness.
Together, we can help secure the release of Vadim Pogorletchi.