Critical Moldova radio station off the air; int'l organizations sound alarm

The Chisinau radio station Antena-C which went silent on 16 December 2006 (photo: OSCE/Claus Neukirch)

CHISINAU (Tiraspol Times) - The Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, American Louis O'Neill from the U.S. State Department, said today that he was worried about the recent disruption of broadcasting at the Chisinau radio station Antena-C.

" - We are extremely concerned about the interruption of Antena-C's broadcasting signal, which deprives people in Chisinau and in large parts of Moldova of an important alternative source of information and analysis," O'Neill said.

" - I urge all those involved to ensure that Antena-C gets back on the air without further delay and guarantee that the station can offer its listeners comprehensive and balanced programming that respects the principles of pluralism and freedom of expression."

Antena-C's broadcasting signal was interrupted Saturday afternoon. Authorities said the cut was caused by a technical problem at the radio relay. The signal was cut during a live radio debate about current developments at the station.

" - It is striking that such a serious technical problem appeared at the precise moment when views critical of the way the station is being privatized were on the air," the Head of Mission said.

Fake bomb: Moldova government deceit against Antena-C

On December 14, the Chisinau Municipal Council decided to put Antena-C and Euro TV Chisinau up for tender and to dismiss the directors of both institutions. The broadcasters are being privatized as outlined in the new broadcasting code.

Journalists at both stations began an organized protest on 15 December against this decision. Late that evening, police entered Antena-C's building and told the radio station's staff to evacuate because of a bomb threat.

" - The OSCE Mission member present at the scene saw neither ambulances, bomb detection units nor any other special precautionary measures which one might expect in the case of a bomb alarm," Ambassador O'Neill said.

He recalled a similar case in August 2004 when journalists at Teleradio Moldova, who were protesting the way the then-state company was being reorganized into a national public broadcaster, were removed from the company's main building by police units, allegedly due to a bomb threat. It later turned out to be a false alarm.

Antena-C employees were allowed to return on Monday, but the station's broadcasting was limited to Chisinau's outdated radio cable network, which has been interrupted several times since Saturday.

In a recent joint statement on the reform of the Moldovan broadcasting sector, the OSCE Mission and ten embassies and international missions accredited in Moldova urged all those involved in the re-organization process of Antena-C and Euro-TV to find a solution that would ensure the continued functioning of both broadcasters, drawing on their experienced staff.

Freedom of expression under threat on both banks of the Dniester

In the past, the OSCE has had harsh words for press freedom on both banks of the Dniester river.

According to official information by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in the last few years, the OSCE has noted several cases when transmissions by broadcasters critical of the Moldovan government were blocked. This is getting worse, as freedom of expression is backsliding in Moldova.

The OSCE is also under the belief that the media climate in the Pridnestrovie (which it calls Transdniestria) continues to be restrictive. It claims that there is still a campaign by the authorities to silence independent opposition voices and movements on the left bank of the Dniestr, although no single independent local newspaper has been closed and there is scant evidence of any other restrictions on the media.

In Pridnestrovie, no radio and TV frequencies from Moldova and Ukraine are jammed. The Moldovan press is freely for sale in Tiraspol and other cities, while the opposite is not true: No newspapers from Pridnestrovie - also called Transnistria, or Transdniester - are available for sale in Moldova, and have repeatedly been seized and confiscated by the Moldovan authorities.

A seminar organized by the British Embassy in September 2006 concluded that a relatively free press exists in Pridnestrovie which is independent from authority. As concluded in the summary of the seminar, the press in PMR is relatively free from state control and it voices opinions which are independent of the government. The report quoted "the presence of certain courage, professionalism and adherence to [journalistic] principles" and concluded that the press does not blindly transmit the government's viewpoint.

" - While neither country is perfect, it seems that things are getting better in Pridnestrovie little by little," says Tiraspol Times journalist Karen Ryan. "Meanwhile, it is clear to us that in Moldova, things are getting uglier every day. Freedom of expression is under serious threat, and the Antena-C radio station closure is just the latest example of a long string of events that have many of us from the West seriously concerned." (With information from OSCE)

See also:
» Human rights activist jailed in Moldova; radio station silenced
» Freedom of speech: Journalists compete over openness and free press

On the web:
» Joint Statement of OSCE and Western embassies
» TV and Radio: freedom of speech?