On 16 September 1996, the deputy Attorney General of the Republic of Moldova, Ion Zastavnitki, called for legal proceedings to be initiated against the director general of the independent news agency BASA Press, Valeriu Renita, to force him to reveal the name of one of his sources in the Ministry of Defence. In a 27 […]
On 16 September 1996, the deputy Attorney General of the Republic
of Moldova, Ion Zastavnitki, called for legal proceedings to be
initiated against the director general of the independent news
agency BASA Press, Valeriu Renita, to force him to reveal the
name of one of his sources in the Ministry of Defence. In a 27
June news item, BASA Press revealed that the Minister of Defence
had contacted several military officers in order to secure their
support even though the President of the Republic had wanted to
fire them. Renita refused to name the source of this information.
The Moldovan press law permits the courts to impose a heavy fine
on a journalist or media outlet which refuses to reveal their
sources. If this legal threat is carried out, BASA Press, which
is already in financial difficulty, will have its bank accounts
frozen. A decision on whether to proceed against Renita is to be
made on 17 October.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
independent news agencies in Moldova
of the pillars of press freedom
Renita
Appeals To
Dumitru Postovan
Attorney General
Republic of Moldova
Fax : +37 32 22 86 20
Copies to:
Petru Lucinschi
President of Parliament
Chisinau
Republic of Moldova
Fax: +37 32 23 32 17
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
