Moldova censorship: Critical radio station still off the air

In Moldova, a radio station critical of the government was closed following a crackdown on free expression (file photo)

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - Government censorship continues unabated in Moldova despite repeated attempts by OSCE and international NGOs to protect human rights and freedom of expression. In mid-December, the popular Chisinau-based public radio station Antena C went off the air, and it is doubtful if the country's authorities will ever allow the signal to be restored.

The worldwide Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, which is based in New York issued a highly critical statement deploring the suspension of Antena C. The station, which frequently aired reports critical of the government, has been off the air for more than a month, and local sources said they fear it is part of an official clampdown on news ahead of May elections.

Broadcasting was interrupted at 3 p.m. on December 16, while the station was airing a report that criticized a new government plan to privatize Antena C and the television station Euro TV, the CPJ's Press Freedom monitoring service informed. Antena C journalists had also recently protested the authorities’ decision to change the station’s management; Veceaslav Sitnic, former chief editor for the government radio station Radio Moldova, had been named the new director.

Police arrived at the station at 2 a.m. the next day, claiming they had received a bomb threat targeting the premises, Antena C correspondent Lucia Culev told CPJ. Police searched the building and forced employees to leave, Culev said.

False excuses as part of cover-up

Victor Badulescu, general director of the state regulator Radiocomunicatii, initially blamed the interruption on a technical malfunction, according to press reports. By January 10, with the station still off the air, Badulescu cited a new reason. He told Antena C staffers that a new contract between Radiocomunicatii and the station must be signed and approved by the Ministry of Information before the station could return to the air, Antena C said in a statement.

Authorities have not commented publicly on the suspension of Antena C’s broadcasts, and they did not return messages left by CPJ seeking comment. Article 27 of the Television and Radio Code says a station’s license is automatically revoked if it does not broadcast for 45 days, and some have speculated that the government could seek to close the station under that provision.

“ - Antena C is an important source of objective news for Moldovans, especially now as the election approaches,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “The government’s vague and shifting explanations make it hard to see this as anything but a politically motivated effort to shut down an objective news source. We call on authorities to restore Antena C to the air immediately.”

"More freedom of expression in Transnistria" surprises observers

Despite its government affiliation, Antena C has been regarded as independent in its coverage. “While most stations are under government control, Antena C was covering all events in the country and they were not afraid to criticize the government or the municipality,” Valeriu Saharneanu, president of the Union of Journalists in Moldova, told CPJ in a telephone interview. “The ruling party was afraid of the station’s independence and popularity.”

In contrast, the authorities in Tiraspol, capital of Pridnestrovie (Transnistria), allow free broadcasts of local radio stations in what observers laud as a human rights advance:

“ - It is surprising, but I have to say it: Today, there is actually more freedom of expression in Transnistria. While Moldova slides backwards, the media in Transnistria is moving forward.”

Some radio projects have been financed by the nearby U.S. Embassy through its grant program and are highly critical of the PMR government. Regardless of their content, they are allowed to broadcast. There has been no case of media restrictions since 2001, when skirmishes erupted over newspaper content during an election campaign. Two critical newspaper were shut down in what the government later admitted was an error of judgment. Since that date, all newspapers and other media - including radio and TV - have operated in Pridnestrovie openly and freely without government restrictions.

The unrecognized country, which is also known as Transdniester and Transnistria, has frequently been criticized for being authoritarian and having a poor human rights record. One of its most vocal critics is the Moldovan Helsinki Committee and its self-appointed leader Ştefan Urîtu. In the case of the Antena C station, however, Urîtu has been less vocal, leading many in Transdniestr to wonder just how real the Committee's commitment is to human rights and free expression. (With information from CPJ)

See also:
» Critical Moldova radio station off the air; int'l organizations sound alarm