Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2006 - Moldova

Abduction, ill-treatment and threats against Mr. Maxim Belinschi²⁸

On March 14, 2006, Mr. Maxim Belinschi, legal counsel for the Moldova Helsinki Committee for Human Rights (MHC) in Chisinau and head of the MHC project "Monitoring and Promotion of Human Rights in the Transnistria Region", was abducted by three individuals who identified themselves as officers of the self-proclaimed Ministry of Security for Transnistria.

Mr. Belinschi was kidnapped in front of the Tiraspol Court (Transnistria), where he was due to observe the trial of Ms. Mishina, president of the movement "Power to the People! For Social Justice", who was accused of organising an illegal demonstration against inflation on March 2, 2006.

Mr. Belinschi was forced into a car where he was muzzled with his hands tied and was threatened with a weapon. He was taken outside of the town to the banks of Nistru River and interrogated on his activities and his presence at Ms. Mishina's trial. His replies were recorded. His kidnappers threatened him that if he ever came back to the region, he would be killed or his family would be subjected to acts of reprisals.

Harassment and threats against members of Dignitas²⁹

On August 17, 2006, Transnistria police and security officers searched the home of Mr. Ghenadie Taran, head of the human rights NGO Dignitas in Slobodzia, without a warrant. Several documents related to his activities as well as his mobile phone were seized. He was then taken to the security headquarters in Tiraspol where he was held incommunicado for two days. He was forced to sign a statement asserting that he would cease his human rights activities. He was subsequently released on the night of August 19, 2006.

On August 18, 2006, Messrs. Igor Ivanov, Yuri Zatyka and Alexandru Macovenco, all three members of Dignitas, were taken to the security headquarters in Tiraspol under the pretext that they were to "assist the police in the solving of a crime". They were then threatened and questioned. Before being released, they had to sign a statement in which they committed not to criticise Transnistria or its administration and to stop their human rights activities, on pain of bearing "the consequences". They were released at the same time as Mr. Taran.

Two weeks later, Mr. Taran was again arrested and taken to the Slobodzia police station, where he was questioned about his activities. He was released a few hours later.

In the following two weeks, 18 members of the organisation, whose addresses appeared in the directory seized at Mr. Taran's home, were interrogated at their homes and were forced to agree to put an end to their activities within the organisation.

[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

28. See MHC.

29. See MHC and Dignitas.