Persecution of Human Rights Activists and Anti Fascists
Leader of the League of Russian Youth of Moldova Igor Tulyantsev.
Chisinau police interrogated the head of the Russian Youth League in Moldova Igor Tulyantsev on May 28, 2013. Interrogation was sanctioned as part of the recently initiated criminal case regarding the use of a war-time slogan “Death to Romanian cannibals!” During an interrogation, Tulyantsev was presented with the results of philological examination, which recognised the slogan as extremist and inciting ethnic hatred. The investigation did not find Tulyantsev's explanation that the slogan was a purely historical reference and did not intend any insult to Romania as invalid.
On April 23, persecution of proponents of Moldova’s accession to the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union had renewed. Newspaper the Daily Pulse reported that Human Rights Association “Femida” received information that people in Sîngerei region are being questioned about their involved in the referendum petition for the accession to the Customs Union. Investigations were launched two years after the petition was held in 2012.
On November 26, 2013 two public activists have been detained during a special operation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office. Pavel Grigorchyuk and Mikhail Amerberg were accused of attempting to destabilise the situation in the country. Several months before the operation, PUBLIKA TV channel broadcasted a story about the supposed propagandist nature of the antifascist movement, accusing them of planning an extremist revolution in the country. On December 19, defence lawyer in the case of the two activists, Roman Aronov, said that Grigorchyuk and Amerberg were arrested on trumped up charges, ordered by the government. He added that these actions are incompatible with the legal state and the course for European integration that was declared by Moldovan authorities. Charges against the two activists include recruitment to “Antifa”, fundraising (with the aim to the overthrow the government), gathering of information about the security agencies of Moldova, armament of active members of the Antifa movement.
On December 19, deputy Grigory Petrenko presented evidence of the prosecution in the “Antifa case”. He said that Antifa is officially recognised as a criminal organisation, adding that Moldova is perhaps the first European country where antifascists are considered as criminals. “It is a real fascist regime if they are persecuting antifascists for their views and consider them a criminal organisation”. Nevertheless, on December 20 Grigorchyuk and Amerberg were presented with new charges – participation in mass riots. In the new case, nothing is mentioned about Antifa, instead referring to an unofficial association called the Social Forum.
