The Government of Moldova have become subject to fierce criticism in the last days following the introduction of a new legislation which, if approved, would prevent the country’s media stations from featuring news about anyone who is black listed by Moldova.
Over the past week, Moldova has sanctioned over 300 individuals, primarily from the country’s oppositional parties. Moldova’s Minister of Justice Sergiu Litvinenco stated that “the Broadcasting Council will be obliged to withdraw the licence if a TV station promotes the image of a natural or legal person included in the international sanctions list”.
The new law, which some say is inspired by Russian anti LGBTQ laws – preventing Russian media from showing same-sex relationships – has however backfired and is facing massive criticism from legal experts and free speech advocates.
Valeriu Renita, the former Director of the Moldova Office of the CIS inter-state television and radio company MIR referenced the move as “repression” and warned about closure of TV stations. Well-known legal expert Nicolae Esanu called the move “the biggest legal aberration I have ever heard or read about.”
The move is the latest attempt from the Moldovan Government to control the growing mass protest which have been taken place in the country over the past months triggered by growing economic challenges. Following the outbreak of the war between Russian and Ukraine, household energy tariffs for Moldovans have gone up six-fold and the country’s future energy supplies are in question. Against a backdrop of deepening crises, protestors continue taking to the streets calling for the pro-European Government to resign. The Government faced criticism from several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, over the violence used against the protestors.
The protests which gather the country’s joint opposition have been accused by the country’s pro-European Government for having a pro-Russian position. Leader of the Shor Party, Ilan Shor, denies any links to Moscow and stated in an interview with the Washington Post that the Moldovan Government “is breaking Moldova’s neutral status and bringing harm to the people of Moldova because today, for normal people, [good relations with Moscow] is the basis for getting normal gas prices.”
