Pridnestrovie's newspapers banned in Moldova

Freedom of press in Tiraspol (PMR), but no longer in Moldova.

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - In Tiraspol and many other parts of Pridnestrovie, Romanian and Moldavian mass-media is freely sold and read. But look for any Pridnestrovian newspapers in Moldova and you will look in vain: The government of Moldova imposes censorship and has banned the import of any newspapers or magazines which promote the Pridnestrovian point of view.

Starting 5 February 2005, the authorities of Moldova banned the importation and distribution of Pridnestrovian newspapers both for subscribers and for retail. Moldovan customs police stopped mail trucks and prevented them from reaching Chisinau with their daily deliveries of newspapers and periodicals. Vladimir Belyayev, Pridnestrovie's spokesman, called the censorship "a serious human rights violation" but emphasized that Pridnestrovie would not retaliate with reciprocical measures.

Pridnestrovie and Moldova signed a "Declaration about the unobstructed circulation of mass media and delivery of the periodicals and telegrams in the territory of Moldova and the Pridnestrovian republic" on 16 May 2001. There are no reported violations of this agreement by Pridnestrovie. However, there are reports of such actions by Moldova whose authorities deny its Russian-speaking residents access to Pridnestrovian mass media.

The two countries went their separate ways in 1990 when Moldova declared null and void all effects of World War II's Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which had forced them into co-habitation within the Soviet Union. That same year, Pridnestrovie - also known as Transnistria - declared its independence. One year later, when Moldova itself declared independence, Pridnestrovie was already functioning as a separate, independent state.