Society
Parliament responses to foreign embassies’ concerns over freedom of media by proposing a bill that would further restrict access to information
Reading Time: 6 minutesParliament responses to foreign embassies’ concerns over freedom of media by proposing a bill that would further restrict access to information
Not later than a week after the Embassies and international organisation accredited in Chisinau expressed concern over the freedom of media in Moldova, Parliament has brought into discussion a bill aimed at disrupting live transmissions on national TV and radio stations of the Parliament sittings, this way restricting the right of the society to fair information. The draft law, signed by the Communist MP Victor Stepaniuc, and Christian-democrat MPs Iurie Rosca and Stefan Secareanu, intends to amend the art. 82 of the Parliament Regulations, according to which plenary sittings are broadcasted live. The initiative signed on Monday was urgently examined by the specialised parliamentary committees and on Monday, March 22 it was decided to examine it at the Friday sitting.
What troubles foreigners
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, March 15 the embassies and international organisations accredited in Chisinau expressed their concern about the trends related to the freedom of media in Moldova recalling the commitment undertaken by Moldova under the EU–Moldova Action Plan and other international agreements including the call to the unrestricted flow of information enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to develop a truly vibrant and free media.
The signatories call on Moldova to adhere fully to its obligations to the OSCE, EU and Council of Europe as well as other international commitments and on all bodies concerned to implement fully international standards on media freedom, so that the Moldovan people receive the free and unfettered the views of all sides in the election campaign.
Full “green light” for the initiative
On March 19, a few days after the statement was issued, three MPs signed a legislative initiative. It requests to amend article 82 of the Parliament Regulations, which is planned to be changed as follows: “The sittings of the Parliament … can be broadcasted live on the national public TV and radio stations according to the Broadcasting Code, or at the request of the Parliament, by simple majority of votes. The records of the public sittings are placed on the official webpage of the Parliament. Official press-releases about the sittings of the Parliament are published only by the Press Service of the Parliament”. The authors justified their initiative by the need to save public money and by the insignificant popularity of the transmissions.
On March 21, the draft law was already examined in the Committee, and on March 22 this item was introduced in the agenda of Friday’s sitting. On Thursday, several MPs, including Veaceslav Untila, Leonid Bujor, and Dumitru Braghis asked the Parliament to postpone the debates related to the amendment, setting forth the illegality of the law. According to the MPs, the amendments address the recent version of the Parliament Regulations, which hasn’t been published yet in “The Official Monitor”. The majority composed of communists and Christian-democrats rejected the proposal of the aforementioned MPs.
A “bad” idea, linked to elections
Political analyst Mihai Godea, director of “Contact” Centre told Info-Prim Neo that this legislative initiative is “bad”. It buries the “10 conditions” proposed by the opposition for voting the head of state.
According to Godea, the live transmission of the sittings enabled the citizens to learn more about the activity of MPs, to watch the uncensored activity of the Parliament. The initiative, clearly electoral, imperils the transparency of Parliament’s activity, violates the right of the population to information, and the ruling coalition tries to retouch its image by means of this law.
Obviously a politically motivated decision
Economic analyst Veaceslav Ionita, member of the Supervisory Board of “Teleradio-Moldova” Company (TRM), refutes the argument of the authorities about the fact that the transmissions are too expensive for the State Budget. Ionita says that TRM has a budget of MDL 60 mln for 2007. This sum includes the broadcasting of programmes of public concern.
Regarding “the insignificant popularity” of the transmissions invoked by the authors, Ionita says that this is a wrong judgment, because no one conducted popularity surveys.
The expert says this is clearly a politically motivated decision. By cancelling the transmissions, the opposition is deprived of the right to be heard. “It is a disgraceful decision of the ruling coalition”, Veaceslav Ionita concluded.
One step closer to the full cancellation of transmissions
Spokesman of “Moldova Noastra” Alliance Victor Osipov says that the only right obtained by the citizens in 2005 – to watch the live transmission of the sittings – is transformed into a whim of the communist – Christian-democrat parliamentary majority, which will censor the programmes as they wish. The broadcast of the sitting was the only decision which was not copying the commitments taken upon through the Action Plan Moldova-EU, and the only one fulfilled. After the cancellation of the transmission, the Christian-democrat MPs tread under foot the only achievement of the deal by means of which they sold to the communist leader the option of the Christian-democrat voters, the cited source says.
According to Osipov, “this initiative confirms the strategy of the present coalition, namely the elimination of the right to the freedom of expression, access to information and expanded political control over public information”, after passing an imperfect Broadcasting Code and privatising two municipal stations, transforming “Moldova Suverana” and “Nezavisimaia Moldova” into obedient newspapers, which directly serve the interests of the coalition. “It was the only way by means of which the population could see the parliamentary debates, hear a different standpoint. No public debates programmes are broadcasted at the stations of Moldova and almost a half of the news on TVM are dedicated to the government, without offering the civil society the right to express a viewpoint on the activity of the government”, the cited source says.
According to him, the process of passing a decision is difficult, includes certain procedures. In case the decision will be made ad-hoc, the TV stations should immediately rally their efforts. Osipov considers that such an initiative shows lack of professionalism.
Red-orange coalition now official
Journalist Constantin Tanase says that by signing the legislative initiative, the two leaders of the People’s Christian Democrat Party and one of the Communist Party, have made the ruling coalition official. The statements about the so-called political partnership look hilarious.
According to the director of “Timpul de dimineata” daily, this initiative is politically motivated and against the opposition, without having nothing in coming with reasons set forth in the informative note of the authors of the amendment. “By means of this initiative the only and the last contact source between the political majority and society is being closed. The argument that the majority of MPs can decide whether the sittings will be transmitted at the radio is perfidious, because we all now who represents the majority – communist and Christian-democrat MPs”, the journalist says, emphasising the fact that promoting such a draft law on the eve of the electoral campaign shows that the parliamentary majority is annoyed by the statements of the opposition.
It is already known which sittings will be broadcasted
Chairman of the Electronic Press Association (APEL) Alexandru Dorogan says that the authors of the initiatives already decided when they will broadcast the sittings of the Parliament, because the initiative says that that decision will be made by the parliamentary majority, which is represented by the authors of the amendment.
Dorogan says that the initiative is not grounded on reasonable arguments, but only on the interest of the authors. “If we accept the idea that TRM is a public institution and represents the interests of the public, I consider this amendment opposes the interest of the public, violating the constitutional right to information, the right to know first hand”, the cited source says, emphasising that in this way the MPs will hide from the public, so that the citizens do not see how they sleep in the Parliament and do nothing at all.
No one believes anymore that communists fulfilled the 10 conditions of the People’s Christian Democrat Party
Chairman of the Independent Press Association (IPA) Petru Macovei told Info-Prim Neo that no one believed that the ruling party had plans to fulfil the 10 conditions presented by PCDP when it accepted the “political deal” on April 4. One of this conditions, almost unique, was the live transmission of the sittings, and their cancellation, at the initiative of the political partners, will deprive the citizens of a public source of information, and the parliamentary opposition – of the possibility to be heard, as they do not have access to the so-called public stations, which praise the government.
Referring to the 10 conditions, Macovei said that the great majority of them were not fulfilled, and nothing has changed, the press was rather throttled than denationalised.
Short story of the cancellation
TV “Moldova 1” started to broadcast the sittings of the Parliament on May 12, 2005. At the first live transmission, leader of the communist faction Eugenia Ostapciuc asked the Parliament to cancel them, because “for each transmission MDL 33 thousand are being spent”.
At the end of the last year, the communist faction insisted on the cancellation of the live transmissions, because it considered them “inefficient”. The Communist faction proposed the creation of TV and radio summaries, which would cover the parliamentary activity.
Back then, PCDP disputed this initiative, saying that “the live transmissions are the political agreement between the government party and opposition”. Suddenly, PCDP changed its mind, coming with two signatures in favour of this initiative against one signature on behalf of the communists. // Info-Prim Neo
Society
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
At the Government’s ground floor, the phones ring constantly, the laptop screens never reach standby. In one corner of the room there is a logistics planning meeting, someone has a call on Zoom with partners and donors, someone else finally managed to take a cookie and make some coffee. Everyone is exhausted and have sleepy red eyes, but the volunteers still have a lot of energy and dedication to help in creating a safe place for the Ukrainian refugees.
“It’s like a continuous bustle just so you won’t read the news. You get home sometimes and you don’t have time for news, and that somehow helps. It’s a kind of solidarity and mutual support,” says Vlada Ciobanu, volunteer responsible for communication and fundraising.
The volunteers group was formed from the very first day of war. A Facebook page was created, where all types of messages immediately started to flow: “I offer accommodation”, “I want to help”, “I want to get involved”, “Where can I bring the products?”, “I have a car and I can go to the customs”. Soon, the authorities also started asking for volunteers’ support. Now they all work together, coordinate activities and try to find solutions to the most difficult problems.
Is accommodation needed for 10, 200 or 800 people? Do you need transportation to the customs? Does anyone want to deliver 3 tons of apples and does not know where? Do you need medicine or mobile toilets? All these questions require prompt answers and actions. Blankets, sheets, diapers, hygiene products, food, clothes – people bring everything, and someone needs to quickly find ways of delivering them to those who need them.
Sometimes this collaboration is difficult, involves a lot of bureaucracy, and it can be difficult to get answers on time. “Republic of Moldova has never faced such a large influx of refugees and, probably because nobody thought this could happen, a mechanism of this kind of crisis has not been developed. Due to the absence of such a mechanism that the state should have created, we, the volunteers, intervened and tried to help in a practical way for the spontaneous and on the sport solutions of the problems,” mentions Ecaterina Luțișina, volunteer responsible for the refugees’ accommodation.
Ana Maria Popa, one of the founders of the group “Help Ukrainians in Moldova/SOS Українці Молдовa” says that the toughest thing is to find time and have a clear mind in managing different procedures, although things still happen somehow naturally. Everyone is ready to intervene and help, to take on more responsibilities and to act immediately when needed. The biggest challenges arise when it is necessary to accommodate large families, people with special needs, for which alternative solutions must be identified.
Goods and donations
The volunteers try to cope with the high flow of requests for both accommodation and products of all kinds. “It came to me as a shock and a panic when I found out that both mothers who are now in Ukraine, as well as those who found refuge in our country are losing their milk because of stress. We are trying to fill an enormous need for milk powder, for which the demand is high and the stocks are decreasing”, says Steliana, the volunteer responsible for the distribution of goods from the donation centers.
Several centers have been set up to collect donations in all regions of Chisinau, and volunteers are redirecting the goods to where the refugees are. A system for processing and monitoring donations has already been established, while the volunteer drivers take over the order only according to a unique code.
Volunteers from the collection centers also do the inventory – the donated goods and the distributed goods. The rest is transported to Vatra deposit, from where it is distributed to the placement centers where more than 50 refugees are housed.
When they want to donate goods, but they don’t know what would be needed, people are urged to put themselves in the position of refugees and ask themselves what would they need most if they wake up overnight and have to hurriedly pack their bags and run away. Steliana wants to emphasise that “these people are not needy, but these people need help. They did not choose to end up in this situation.”
Furthermore, the volunteer Cristina Sîrbu seeks to identify producers and negotiate prices for products needed by refugees, thus mediating the procurement process for NGOs with which she collaborates, such as Caritas, World Children’s Fund, Polish Solidarity Fund, Lifting hands, Peace Corps and others.
One of the challenges she is facing now is the identifying a mattress manufacturer in the West, because the Moldovan mattress manufacturer that has been helping so far no longer has polyurethane, a raw material usually imported from Russia and Ukraine.
Cristina also needs to find solutions for the needs of the volunteer groups – phones, laptops, gsm connection and internet for a good carrying out of activities.
Hate messages
The most difficult thing for the communication team is to manage the hate messages on the social networks, which started to appear more often. “Even if there is some sort of dissatisfaction from the Ukrainian refugees and those who offer help, we live now in a very diverse society, there are different kind of people, and we act very differently under stress,” said Vlada Ciobanu.
Translation by Cătălina Bîrsanu
Important
#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression
The international community and volunteers from all over te world have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against the Russian aggression. In a digital world – it is an interactive map of public support of Ukrainians under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.”
„Today, along with the political and military support, emotional connection with the civilized world and truthful information are extremely important for Ukraine. The power to do it is in your hands. Join the #WorldForUkraine project and contribute to the victorious battle against the bloodshed inflicted on Ukraine by the aggression of the Russian Federation”, says the „about the project” section of the platform.
Go to the streets — Tell people — Connect and Unite — Become POWERFUL
Volunteers have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression. In digital world – it is an INTERACTIVE MAP of public support of Ukrainians worldforukraine.net under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.” There you may find information about past and future rallies in your city in support of Ukraine. This is a permanent platform for Ukrainian diaspora and people all over the world concerned about the situation in Ukraine.
So here’s a couple of things you could do yourself to help:
* if there is a political rally in your city, then participate in it and write about it on social media with geolocation and the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
* if there are no rallies nearby, organize one in support of Ukraine yourself, write about it on social media with geolocation adding the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
The map will add information about gathering by #WorldForUkraine AUTOMATICALLY
Your voice now stronger THAN ever
All rallies are already here: https://worldforukraine.net
Important
How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained
From 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova. 33 173 of them left the country. As of this moment, there are 38 186 Ukrainian citizens in Moldova, who have arrived over the past 100 hours.
The Moldovan people and authorities have organized themselves quickly from the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, in the event of a prolonged armed conflict and a continuous influx of Ukrainian refugees, the efforts and donations need to be efficiently managed. Thus, we inquired about Moldova’s long-term plan and the state’s capacity to receive, host, and treat a bigger number of refugees.
On February 26th, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova approved the Regulation of organization and functioning of the temporary Placement Center for refugees and the staffing and expenditure rules. According to the Regulation, the Centers will have the capacity of temporary hosting and feeding at least 20 persons, for a maximum of 3 months, with the possibility of extending this period. The Centers will also offer legal, social, psychological, and primary medical consultations to the refugees. The Center’s activity will be financed from budget allocations, under Article 19 of Provision no. 1 of the Exceptional Situations Commission from February 24th, 2022, and from other sources of funding that do not contravene applicable law.
The Ministry of Inner Affairs and the Government of Moldova facilitated the organization of the volunteers’ group “Moldova for Peace”. Its purpose is to receive, offer assistance and accommodation to the Ukrainian refugees. The group is still working on creating a structure, registering and contacting volunteers, etc. It does not activate under a legal umbrella.
Lilia Nenescu, one of the “Moldova for Peace” volunteers, said that the group consists of over 20 people. Other 1700 registered to volunteer by filling in this form, which is still available. The group consists of several departments:
The volunteers’ department. Its members act as fixers: they’re responsible for connecting the people in need of assistance with the appropriate department. Some of the volunteers are located in the customs points. “The Ministry of Inner Affairs sends us every day the list of the customs points where our assistance is needed, and we mobilize the volunteers”, says Lilia Nenescu.
The Goods Department manages all the goods donated by the Moldavian citizens. The donations are separated into categories: non-perishable foods and non-food supplies. The volunteers of this department sort the goods into packages to be distributed.
The Government intends to collect all the donations in four locations. The National Agency for Food Safety and the National Agency for Public Health will ensure mechanisms to confirm that all the deposited goods comply with safety and quality regulations.
The Service Department operates in 4 directions and needs the volunteer involvement of specialists in psychology, legal assistance (the majority of the refugees only have Ukrainian ID and birth certificates of their children); medical assistance; translation (a part of the refugees are not Ukrainian citizens).
According to Elena Mudrîi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, so far there is no data about the number of Covid-19 positive refugees. She only mentioned two cases that needed outpatient medical assistance: a pregnant woman and the mother of a 4-day-old child.
The Accommodation Department. The volunteers are waiting for the centralized and updated information from the Ministry of Labor about the institutions offering accommodation, besides the houses offered by individuals.
The Transport Department consists of drivers organized in groups. They receive notifications about the number of people who need transportation from the customs points to the asylum centers for refugees.
The municipal authorities of Chișinău announced that the Ukrainian children refugees from the capital city will be enrolled in educational institutions. The authorities also intend to create Day-Care Centers for children, where they will be engaged in educational activities and will receive psychological assistance. Besides, the refugees from the municipal temporary accommodation centers receive individual and group counseling.
In addition to this effort, a group of volunteers consisting of Ana Gurău, Ana Popapa, and Andrei Lutenco developed, with the help of Cristian Coșneanu, the UArefugees platform, synchronized with the responses from this form. On the first day, 943 people offered their help using the form, and 110 people asked for help. According to Anna Gurău, the volunteers communicate with the Government in order to update the platform with the missing data.
Translation from Romanian by Natalia Graur
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