Torture on the rise in Moldova, human rights group warn

In a written report, human rights group Amnesty International confirms that "government torture is normal in Moldova"

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - If you visit Moldova, pray that you will not get arrested. A recent Amnesty International report has found that human rights abuses are commonplace in Moldova. Torture and ill treatment of people held in police custody is not unusual, and the Moldovan regime has itself admitted that it does not respect basic international standards.

Along with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch - another leading human rights group - has also criticized Moldovan authorities for their poor record on human rights. In Moldova, the report says, torture is commonplace, ongoing and "normal."

" - Amnesty International considers that torture and ill-treatment at the hands of the police is widespread and systemic in Moldova," says the report while adding that "law enforcement officers are known to extract confessions and testimony from detainees through force, sometimes resorting to torture."

Documenting a series of disturbing case studies, Amnesty International puts the spotlight on the worsening human rights situation in Moldova. One citizen told about how he was tortured and beaten unconscious by police in an attempt to make him confess to a minor crime.

In another case study, Amnesty International heard from a woman who was allegedly tortured to extract a confession of stealing from her ex-husband. She states that she was deprived of oxygen and hung on a metal contraption between two chairs while she was being beaten at the same time.

Lawyers targeted if they defend victims

The cases reported by Amnesty International are merely the tip of the iceberg in Moldova, which is rife with government abuse and corruption. Most victims are silent because they fear government retribution and are afraid that revenge killings will be carried out against their family members.

If they go to a lawyer to defend their rights there is an added risk of the lawyer becoming a victim, too: Amnesty International reports that harassment of lawyers is commonplace, particularly of those who raise human rights issues. Amnesty International has proof that lawyers in Moldova are being threatened with criminal prosecutions themselves for ‘misuse of official position’ when they come forward with information about human rights violations.

Political freedom is also limited in Moldova, says the human rights organization. It has presented solid evidence that opposition politicians have been harassed and intimidated for expressing political views contrary to the government line. In some cases, bogus charges have been fabricated to procure arrests. At least one opposition politician, Valeriu Pasat, has been forced to live in exile and a Moldovan court now wants to strip him of his citizenship.

Arrests and torture of demonstrators

Moldova is slipping and the lack of basic human rights is now commonplace. Moreover, there is now increasing censorship against freedom of expression in the country. On Tuesday, civil society representatives in Chisinau announced that the right to freedom of assembly is largely disrespected in Moldova. The country's restrictive Law on Assemblies was published on April 22.

Earlier, Amnesty International reported that local and national government frequently ban rallies and demonstrations. If demonstrators nevertheless go ahead anyway, they risk arrest and torture: In one example, police detained all demonstrators that had been campaigning for a statue in honor of Romanian writer Mihai Eminescu.

Last year, the ECHR in Strasbourg found Moldova in violation of its prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The guilty verdict in the torture case of “Ciorap v. Moldova” forced Moldova's government to pay the victim, Tudor Ciorap, 20,000 euros for damages and 1,150 euros for costs and expenses, but his family says that he is scarred for life and human rights groups say that torture is still an ongoing and growing problem in Moldova.

On Tuesday, 22 April 2008, the leaders of three civil society organizations announced that they would put the spotlight on Moldova's failure to protect the right of freedom of assembly as a way of asserting and observing one’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression in Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reported.

According to Pavel Postica, a lawyer from one of the organizations, the right to peaceful assembly in Moldova is frequently violated. Oleg Brega of the civic NGO Hyde Park warned that this failure to protect a basic human right will cause problems for Moldova at the ECHR. Sergiu Ostaf, director of “CReDO” NGO, believes that the limitation of the right to assembly is the consequence of abusive application of specific legal provisions by the law enforcement bodies.

See also:
» Torture victims in Moldova jail cells
» Amnesty International warns of Moldova human rights abuses
» Increase in torture cases in Moldova leaves human rights groups powerless
» European Court of Human Rights finds Moldova guilty in new torture case
» Amnesty International reveals widespread torture in Moldova; calls for "urgent measures"