Today, during a press conference, Promo-LEX Association renewed the public attention on the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region, and on the efforts made by the Chisinau authorities to rehabilitate the victims of torture and ill-treatment in the region.
Vitalie Eriomenco told the press today about the criminal file the influential people from the Transnistrian region developed on his name and how he was dispossessed of his business. The businessman was detained from March 2011 to September 2016. He was released after being amnestied by the so-called Tiraspol authorities. Over the last 2 months, Vitalie Eriomenco underwent rehabilitation treatments. But, last week, in a shopping center from Chisinau, he saw one of the people involved in his criminal file development walking freely.
Vitalie Eriomenco is a businessman domiciled in Slobozia district, Transnistrian region. He was arrested in March 2011 by the representatives of the Transnistrian militia. Over ten hours after the arrest, Eriomenco was ill-treated and threatened with death by the so-called militia collaborators. He was given no first aid. His family was not informed about the arrest and could not contact any lawyer. On 29 March 2011, he was given no food or water. The food he was provided later had a poor quality, thus – inedible. As a result, Mr. Eriomenco lost five kilograms in twenty-eight days of detention. He was deliberately kept in a cell with recidivist detainees in order to be intimidated. The business he had developed over a long period was abusively seized, and his shares at the Factory of Mineral Water and Soft Drinks ‘RUSTASAQUA’, at the Slobozia Bread Factory, and at the ‘VITAVIT’ Brewery, were transferred to other people.
Medical records state that Vitalie Eriomenco has hypertension, heart and respiratory failures, duodenal ulcer, prostatitis and inguinal hernia. His health deteriorated in the penitentiary, due to the conditions of detention. Particularly, his ulcer worsened due to poor quality of food. He had unbearable pains, but was refused any primary health care. After submitting a number of requests in this respect, he was examined by the doctors, but only once. In addition, he had to ask his family to bring him the drugs needed. He also had toothache, but the penitentiary administration did not provide him an appropriate health care.
On 30 December 2013, the so-called courts from the region found him guilty of swindling and sentenced him to 12 years of imprisonment with the confiscation of his personal property. Thus, he was detained for more than 6 years. The Eriomenco case is pending at the European Court of Human Rights, being communicated to the Government from Chisinau in July 2011.
Ion Manole, Promo-LEX Executive Director, said: ‘there is no effective mechanism to defend the human rights in the Transnistrian region, and if a person has no relatives to make efforts or to raise the public awareness, has no money to hire a lawyer or to find an organization providing defense services, he or she will lose everything’. Ion Manole added that there is a need to ensure mechanisms for human rights monitoring in the region, with the involvement of the civil society from both sides of the Nistru river, since the so-called Tiraspol judiciary system fails to guarantee a fair justice. In this context, the Promo-LEX Executive Director reminded that Promo-LEX members cannot enter the Transnistrian region since April 2015.
The Promo-LEX lawyer, Nicoleta Hriplivii, stated: ‘there is an urgent need to include on the political negotiations agenda, within the existing formats (1+1 and 5+2), the issues related to human rights monitoring, promotion and defence,and the objective assessment of the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) as regards the human rights promotion and protection activities planned for the Transnistrian region’.
At the same time, we remind that last week, in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR) reviewed the country report on the human rights situation in Moldova and the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. On 19 September 2016, Promo-LEX Association presented its alternative report that focused mainly on the implementation of the Covenant in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. Promo-LEX experts say that there is no international difference between the Republic of Moldova and the uncontrolled region. The Moldovan authorities are required to report how the Covenant has been implemented throughout the country, including in the Transnistrian region. The alternative report of the Promo-LEX Association on the Covenant implementation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova is available here or here.