Peaceful Assembly
In June 2019, several demonstrations took place in Chisinau in the context of the government crisis. The organisation Promo-LEX reported cases of aggression against protesters by security forces and also obstruction of journalists, including preventing them from attending some meetings.
The protest actions organised at the beginning of June 2019 were sustained by political forces which showed their dissatisfaction with the way the new majority parliamentary coalition was formed, claiming that several legislative provisions were violated and decisions of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova were neglected.
Expression
Opposition leaders and civic activists intercepted by authorities between 2016 and 2017
The organisation RISE Moldova published a report in June 2019 that concluded that state authorities have been tapping the phones and using surveillance against the opposition and critics. According to the organisation, at least 52 politicians, civil society activists and journalists were targeted by the police, using tactics like tapping their phones and installing microphones and cameras at their homes.
Asociația Promo-LEX condamnă comportamentul agresiv de la întrunirile publice: Cazuri regretabile și inadmisibile https://t.co/1LNFOf1Lzp pic.twitter.com/FEzA1FyKbr
— UNIMEDIA (@unimediamd) June 11, 2019
Association
At the beginning of June 2019, a new parliamentary majority coalition was formed in the Republic of Moldova, which allowed the political crisis to end and the new government to be elected. In this context, several civil society organisations made a public appeal to the new authorities, urging them to continue implementing the necessary measures for the development of civil society in the country. Among the recommendations included are:
- ensuring the efficient implementation of the Strategy for Civil Society Development 2018-2020;
- encouraging and supporting NGOs to promote and defend democratic values in the Transnistrian region, as well as developing mechanisms to protect human rights defenders on both banks of the Dniester river;
- increasing transparency in the decision-making process, especially at the level of the Government and the Parliament, as well as involving civil society organisations in the development of the main policy documents;
- adopting the final reading of the draft law on non-commercial organisations, into the current version.