Torture, selective justice, pressure on the media and the opposition, mass corruption – these words have long been heard in the discussion of human rights and democracy in Moldova. By the end of 2018 the situation has not improved. Moldova not only continued to fall in the world ranking of democracy development Democracy Index, but also suffered serious image losses for the case of Turkish teachers.
The U.S. Department of State criticizes democracy in Moldova
The US annual
report on the human rights situation in the world, published on March 13, gives Moldova 46 pages that is more than Afghanistan. They describe human rights violations in the country in a rigorous and concrete manner. The authors of the report note that the judicial system is under strong political pressure, women and children experience violence, and labour legislation is widely not respected. The Department of State criticizes torture and inhuman conditions in prisons, backing up its accusations with real stories: for example, Andrei Braguta, who died in pretrial detention after being beaten by inmates. In general, according to the Department of State, up to 30 people die annually in prisons of Moldova because of poor quality medical care.
The report particularly focuses on political prisoners. It gives information about the Petrenco group, whose peaceful protest was determined as mass riots, and about the hunger strike of the municipal councilors from Balti. The authors mention the arrest of the mayor of Ghelăuza Nicoleta Malai, who was accused of passive corruption after refusing to ‘migrate’ into the ranks of the Democratic Party, and the case of a member of the Dignity and Truth Platform Party Gheorghe Petic, who was arrested on suspicion of rape. Blackmail and intimidation of the opposition Our Party, whose leader had to flee the country, has not escaped the attention of the report’s drafters.
Besides, the authors pointed to the inefficiency of the fight against corruption – according to their data, almost half of the population continues to give bribes. They also recalled the negative consequences of the electoral reform and mass political defections of the deputies of the Parliament.
“Only an empty shell”
According to the US Department of State, Moldova’s weak point is the justice system with its corruption, selectivity and political pressure. The most striking examples given in the report are the sensational story of the invalidation of results of the elections of the Chisinau mayor and demonstrative dismissals of judges.
The International Commission of Jurists has also reported that the situation in Moldovan justice has only worsened in recent years. One can easily comprehend the depth of disappointment with the ‘success’ of reforms in this sphere by the very title of the document: “
Only an empty shell”- The undelivered promise of an independent judiciary in Moldova”.
Experts of the Commission noted that since their visit in 2012, the authorities have carried out comprehensive reforms in the justice system, however, in fact the situation has become even worse than in Soviet times. For example, criminal cases against judges are often used to fight opposition rather than corruption. Massimo Frigo, who presented this report in Chisinau, expressed the general surprise of the experts that after six years of the reforms they saw on paper, 81% of Moldovan citizens still do not trust the justice system.
It is obvious that all the changes in the sphere of justice that were necessary for the continuation of European integration were ultimately limited to the adoption of non-working laws. This is now understood by Brussels, which has long been a financial donor for the reform. Perhaps that is why the last tranche of money – several tens of millions of euros – for its implementation ‘canceled’, symbolizing the exhausted patience of the EU.
People in exchange for finance
The suspension of the European Union’s macro-financial assistance forced the Moldovan authorities, addicted to external subsidies, to frantically search for other patrons. One of the new partners of Moldova is Turkey, which previously provided assistance to Chisinau through TIKA. Ankara not only sponsored the repair of the presidential administration building worth 7.8 million euros, but also blessed the entry of its own business into the territory of Moldova. For instance, one Turkish company is involved in the construction of a large-scale Arena Chisinau complex, another – in the construction of roads for 60 million euros. Apparently, this is only the beginning – the Moldovan authorities expect to receive investments in agriculture and increase the share of Moldovan goods in the Turkish market.
Chisinau has found a fancy way to make partnership with Ankara mutually beneficial. People literally paid for the Turkish aid: seven teachers of Orizont lyceums in Moldova were hastily called a threat to national security and sent to Istanbul.
Such blatant disregard for human rights was unprecedented even for Moldova. The authorities’ accusations against teachers do not stand up to any criticism, and their deportation was in violation of all norms of the current legislation. Chisinau was not even bothered that expelled Turkish citizens asked for political asylum in the country: at home they are in real danger, and hardly anyone could build illusions about their fate. Nevertheless, the rights of these people, as well as the image of Moldovan democracy in general, were laid on the altar of financial interests.
All concerns have been affirmed recently when it became known that two of the seven deported teachers were sentenced to imprisonment for 9 and 6.5 years. There is no doubt that the remaining five sentences are only a matter of time. The report of the Department of State has a special section on the expulsion of Turkish teachers, which also reads that there are 48 more Turkish citizens in the country. They can hardly feel safe – it is not clear which ‘bonuses’ can be gotten for them.
Judging by the conclusions of external experts, democratic values and the rule of law in Moldova have recently finally turned into a rustling wrapper of the tarnished “success story” of the once leader of European integration in Eastern Europe. It is obvious that the decline of democracy in Moldova is so significant that it is clearly visible not only to ordinary citizens of Moldova, but also from high offices in Washington and Brussels.
