Amnesty International Report 1997 - Moldova

Death sentences on 19 prisoners awaiting execution were commuted to life imprisonment. An official of the self-proclaimed Dnestr Moldavian Republic (DMR) was found guilty of causing a death in custody; torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement officials continued to be reported. Presidential elections in November were won by the chairman of the parliament, Petru Lucinschi. Negotiations continued on the status of the DMR but a draft memorandum had not been signed by the end of the year. A new court system was introduced in August to provide greater independence of the courts from the government and the procuracy. In February, death sentences on 19 prisoners awaiting execution were commuted to life imprisonment by presidential decree. This followed a parliamentary vote at the end of 1995 to remove the death penalty from Moldova's Penal Code (see Amnesty International Report 1996). In May, Moldova signed Protocol No. 6 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, thus fulfilling a great part of its commitment to the Council of Europe to abolish the death penalty (see Amnesty International Report 1996). Moldova also signed the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. A DMR official was found guilty of ill-treatment resulting in the death of a detainee. Four officials from the Rybnitsa City Department of Internal Affairs had reportedly been detained and charged in connection with the death in custody in 1995 of Aleksandr Kalashnikov (see Amnesty International Report 1996), but three were released under a special amnesty covering people who had fought on the side of the DMR. The fourth, Vladimir Luchinets, confessed to killing Aleksandr Kalashnikov, but later claimed he only agreed to do so when a superior officer promised that he too would benefit from the amnesty. Vladimir Luchinets was reportedly tried before the Supreme Court of the DMR in August and found guilty of "misconduct and exceeding his powers" and "the use of torture and physical violence, which resulted in the death of a person". He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment. Further allegations of torture and ill-treatment by DMR law enforcement officers emerged during Vladimir Luchinets' trial. A number of witnesses reportedly testified that they had been tortured and ill-treated in an attempt to force confessions while detained at the Rybnitsa City Department of Internal Affairs on suspicion of the same offence as Aleksandr Kalashnikov. Among the alleged victims were G. Kachurovsky, S. Boynovich and A. Marchenko. It was reported in September that Andrei Ivan¤oc and Alexandru Leco, two of the "Tiraspol Six" (see Amnesty International Report 1994), were seriously ill and had not been provided with adequate medical assistance. They had been sentenced in 1993 for crimes against the DMR after a trial which seemed to fall short of international standards. Amnesty International welcomed the abolition of the death penalty in Moldova. It urged the DMR authorities to investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention by law enforcement officials and expressed concern about irregularities in investigations. In a reply received in November, the Minister of the Interior of the DMR, I. Fuchedzi, stated that appropriate measures had been taken to address the violations by law enforcement officers raised by the organization, including disciplinary actions and dismissals. Amnesty International continued to call for a review of the case of the "Tiraspol Six", asking for those still detained to receive appropriate medical treatment.