Written declaration No. 679 | Doc. 14926 | 27 June 2019

The rights of the politically oppressed must be restored in the Republic of Moldova

Signatories: Mr Mihail POPSOI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Hannah BARDELL, United Kingdom, NR ; Mr Vlad BATRINCEA, Republic of Moldova, SOC ; Ms Reina de BRUIJN-WEZEMAN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Ms Rósa Björk BRYNJÓLFSDÓTTIR, Iceland, UEL ; Mr Maurizio BUCCARELLA, Italy, NR ; Lord George FOULKES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr André GATTOLIN, France, ALDE ; Mr Paul GAVAN, Ireland, UEL ; Ms Miren GORROTXATEGI, Spain, UEL ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Eerik-Niiles KROSS, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Kęstutis MASIULIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Andrei NASTASE, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Marco NICOLINI, San Marino, UEL ; Ms Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Henk OVERBEEK, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Hişyar ÖZSOY, Turkey, UEL ; Mr Aleksander POCIEJ, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Thomas PRINGLE, Ireland, UEL ; Mr Roberto RAMPI, Italy, SOC ; Ms Ulla SANDBÆK, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Jussi SARAMO, Finland, UEL ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Tommy SHEPPARD, United Kingdom, NR ; Mr Raivo TAMM, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

We are closely following the developments in the Republic of Moldova, with a particular focus on the fulfilment of its commitments towards the Council of Europe.

We stand ready to co-operate with the new Moldovan legitimate Government in the field of necessary reforms in order to free State institutions captured by Plahotniuc’s regime.

In this context, we are concerned about the fate of politically persecuted persons: lawyers Ana Ursachi, Eduard Rudenco and Ion Cretu, judges Domnica Manole, Dorin Munteanu and Gheorghe Balan, politicians Gheorge Petic and Grigore Petrenco, civil activist Pavel Grigorciuc, key witnesses Sergiu Cebotari and Valentin Esanu, who have become victims of defamatory campaigns and criminal cases.

We condemn the actions of the former Moldovan authorities, which took part in the forcible transfer of seven Turkish teachers to Turkish prisons (judgment of the European Court of Human Rights Ozdil and others v. the Republic of Moldova of 11 June 2019) and call on the new Moldovan Government to provide their safe return to the Republic of Moldova.

We hereby urge the new Moldovan authorities to ensure that all political reprisals are stopped and all persecuted persons are set free and have their rights restored.