Written declaration No. 598 | Doc. 13887 | 30 September 2015

Moldova is urged to immediately release all the political prisoners

Signatories: Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr David CRAUSBY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Tuur ELZINGA, Netherlands, UEL ; Mr Bernd FABRITIUS, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Claudio FAZZONE, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Paul FLYNN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr Martin FRONC, Slovak Republic, EPP/CD ; Mr Francesco Maria GIRO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Geneviève GOSSELIN-FLEURY, France, SOC ; Mr Matjaž HANŽEK, Slovenia, UEL ; Mr Johannes HÜBNER, Austria, NR ; Mr Andrej HUNKO, Germany, UEL ; Mr Gediminas JAKAVONIS, Lithuania, ALDE ; Ms Lotta JOHNSSON FORNARVE, Sweden, UEL ; Mr Qais KHADER, Palestine ; Mr Ertuğrul KÜRKÇÜ, Turkey, UEL ; Ms Aaja Chemnitz LARSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Mr George LOUKAIDES, Cyprus, UEL ; Mr Andrei NEGUTA, Republic of Moldova, SOC ; Ms Gabriela PECKOVÁ, Czech Republic, EPP/CD ; Mr Luc RECORDON, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Rovshan RZAYEV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Mr Andreas SCHIEDER, Austria, SOC ; Mr Senad ŠEPIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Mr Stefaan VERCAMER, Belgium, EPP/CD ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Mr Nikolaj VILLUMSEN, Denmark, UEL ; Mr Viktor VOVK, Ukraine, EC ; Mr Morten WOLD, Norway, EC ; Ms Kristýna ZELIENKOVÁ, Czech Republic, ALDE

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

On 6 September 2015, thousands of Moldovans rallied in Chisinau downtown against lawlessness, corruption, oligarch dictatorship, demanding senior officials of the law enforcement agencies to resign, and to bring to justice everyone involved in the case of the stolen billion from the Moldovan banking system. The protesters were calling for the release of the State institutions from the influence of oligarch Plahotniuc.

During one of the peaceful rallies held in front of the Prosecutor General's Office, the leader of the opposition Red Bloc Party, Grigore Petrenco and other activists involved were arrested.

The detainees were charged with organisations of and participation in mass riots. Under Article 285 of the Moldovan Criminal Code they risk to get up to 8 years in prison.

The basic civil rights and freedoms in a democracy include freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the right to protest. The Republic of Moldova, as a full-fledged member State of the Council of Europe, shall be bound to honour all the commitments it assumed when joining the Council of Europe.

We resolutely condemn the very grave violations of the rights and freedoms in the Republic of Moldova, and the political repression unleashed against the opposition representatives.