Oppressed Moldovans from the Country Eastern Region Speak in Washington
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Written by Nikola
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Tuesday, 08 November 2005 |
Moldova.org - Falls Church, VA, USA
Washington, DC (Moldova Foundation) --- On November 2-5, 2005, the Moldova Foundation organized a series of briefings on human rights violations in the eastern region of the Republic of Moldova ? Transnistria. To hear the voice of the oppressed population there, the Foundation invited to the US Mr. Ion Iovcev, Principal of the Romanian-language Lucian Blaga high school in Tiraspol (capital of Transnistria), and Mr. Ion Manole, Executive Director of Promo-Lex, a Chisinau-based human rights watchdog focused on defending farmers property rights in Transnistria.
Ambassador Steven Mann, the State Department's negotiator for Eurasian conflicts and the US envoy at the Transnistrian conflict negotiations in the new 5+2? format, and other State Department and USAID officials were able to hear first hand information about how children in Transnistria are deprived of studying in their native language and how farmers were left without their only source of subsistence, their private land, which was confiscated by the separatist regime in Tiraspol. (The farmers were able to own the land as a result of a privatization program conducted by the Moldovan Government with the USAID funding).
On behalf of 15 thousand children, their parents and teachers, I am asking you to understand us and to support these children to study in Romanian?, said Mr. Iovcev, who is Bulgarian by origin.
The two Moldovans provided information about the lack of democratic institutions, free media, and rights of assembly in Transnistria to the Helsinki Commission and Senator George Allens staff (R-VA). At a briefing at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty titled Are human rights violations in Transnistria an obstacle to free and fair local elections?? representatives of Washington's NGO and academia communities learned about the situation of the majority of population in Transnistria, who are unrepresented by the puppet Smirnov Soviet-style regime. The speakers emphasized that free local elections in Transnistria could only take place when Russia withdraws its troops from Moldova, there is free access to national and international mass media in the region, civil society develops, and political parties can carry out activities without restrictions.
Ion Manole and Ion Iovcev were also special guests at a roundtable discussion hosted by the International Republican Institute and the Moldova Foundation.
Five thousand farmers that I represent - left without land - are looking at the champions of democracy, the US and the European Union, with hope in their struggle to defend their basic rights," said Ion Manole. "Please help these people.?
Both speakers expressed their deep concern about the security of their fellow citizens - of all nationalities - living in Transnistria in fear of the separatist security forces and illegal paramilitary groups, who detain, kidnap and conduct political killings of those who are in favor of a unified Moldova.
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About the Moldova Foundation:
The Moldova Foundation is a Washington, DC area based organization that advocates for democratic transformation in the Republic of Moldova, for a resolution of the Transnistrian conflict, and for the evacuation of the Russian munitions and military forces stationed in Moldova. The foundation conducts its activity thanks to a donation from the Foundation Open Society Institute and individual contributions.
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