Human rights in Transnistria
Encyclopedia
The human rights
record of Transnistria
has been criticized by several governments and international organizations. The Republic of Moldova, as well as other states and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claim that the government of Transnistria
is authoritarian and has a record of arbitrary arrest and torture.
With the stated aim of rectifying its human rights
record and bringing it in line with European standards, Transnistria established an ombudsman
's office in 2006.
The 2007 Freedom in the World report, published by the US-based Freedom House
, described Transnistria as a "non-free" territory, having an equally poor record in both political rights and civil liberties
.
, in a decision without juridical power, condemned the “strict and frequent” violation of human rights by the Transnistrian separatist authorities. The European Parliament "deplores the lack of respect for human rights and human dignity in Transnistria" and "condemns the continued repression, harassment and intimidation of representatives of the independent media, NGOs and civil society".
According to an U.S. Department of State
report referring to year 2006, The right of citizens to change their government was restricted[...] Authorities reportedly continued to use torture and arbitrary arrest and detention.[...]In Transnistria authorities limited freedom of speech and of the press.[...]Authorities usually did not permit free assembly.[...] In the separatist region of Transnistria the authorities continued to deny registration and harassed a number of minority religions groups.[...]The separatist region remained a significant source and transit area for trafficking in persons.[...] Homosexuality was illegal, and gays and lesbians were subject to governmental and societal discrimination.
The Republic of Moldova accuses the PMR administration of organizing incursions into some of the left-bank villages controlled by the Moldovan government such as Vasilevca, which they claim also result in arbitrary arrests, beatings and sometimes even deaths.
Several alleged crimes by the paramilitary forces of the Transnistrian government remained uninvestigated. The chairman of the Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights claimed that 20 people were killed in the village of Chiţcani
, 5 km south of Tiraspol, between 1996 and 2000. He said that no government authority investigated these deaths because Moldova has no access to the village and Transnistrian authorities do not wish to investigate.
According to a human rights report by the US Department of State, prisons in Transnistria are said to be harsh.
According to US Department of State human rights reports for 2003–2004 and 2005, the right of citizens to change their government is severely restricted; authorities reportedly continued to use torture and arbitrary arrest and detention. Transnistrian authorities harassed independent media and opposition lawmakers, restricted freedom of association and of religion, and discriminated against Romanian-speakers.
The police investigation into the July 2004 disappearance of Sergei Gavrilov, who was imprisoned in Transnistria during the early 1990s and allegedly witnessed the mistreatment of members of the "Ilascu Group", was not solved. Transnistrian authorities have regularly harassed and often detained persons suspected of being critical of the regime for periods of up to several months. For example, Transnistrian authorities detained for several hours and reportedly abused two brothers, aged 12 and 15, who were the sons of a teacher at one of the Latin script schools in Transnistria. The Transnistria militia had reportedly explained they had detained the boys to clean the city of homeless people before the December legislative elections.
Alternative viewpoints were stifled by widespread censorship
According to the same U.S. Department of State report for 2006, Both of region's major newspapers were controlled by the authorities. There was one independent weekly newspaper in Bender and another in the northern city of Rîbniţa.[...]Separatist authorities harassed independent newspapers for critical reporting of the Transnistrian regime.[...]Most television and radio stations and print publication were controlled by Transnistrian authorities, which largely dictated their editorial policies and finance operations. Some broadcast networks, such as the TSV television station and the INTER-FM radio station, were owned by Transnistria's largest monopoly, Sherriff, which also holds a majority in the region's legislature.[...]In July 2005 the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet amended the election code to prohibit media controlled by the Transnistrian authorities from publishing results of polls and forecasts related to elections.
, and have restricted the usage of the Latin script for the Moldovan language
to only 6 schools. Four schools
of the six that taught the Moldovan language using Latin script were closed by the authorities, who claimed the schools refused to apply for official accreditation. The schools were later reopened amid pressure from the European Union, but as private institutions .
In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights has declared partly admissible applications of more than 100 local residents regarding closing of three Moldovan schools in Transnistria (Tighina, Rîbniţa nd Grigoriopol), alleging the violation of their right to protection of private life, education and non-discrimination.
The OSCE mission to Moldova urged local authorities in the Transnistrian city of Rîbniţa to return a confiscated building to the Moldovan Latin script school located in the city. The unfinished building was nearing completion in 2004, when Transnistria took control of it during that year's school crisis.
In November 2005 Ion Iovcev, the principal of a Romanian-language school in Transnistria and active advocate for human rights as well as a critic of the Transnistrian leadership, received threatening calls that he attributed to his criticism of the separatist regime.
, who was convicted in 1993 of killing two Transnistrian officials. He was initially sentenced to death by Transnistria's Supreme Court. This was repealed to a life prison sentence. Three other associates were sentenced to 12 to 15 years’ imprisonment and confiscation of their property.
Ilaşcu
was released in 2001, following a decision of the European Court of Human Rights
, while the other three were released in 2004 and 2007 when they finished serving their sentences.
In the case of Ilaşcu and Others v. Moldova and Russia (2004), the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) found their detention arbitrary and did not recognize the sentence. It also demanded that Moldova and Russia release the other Ilie Ilaşcu Group members, Andrei Ivanţoc
and Tudor Petrov-Popa
, at that time still imprisoned in Transnistria.
ECHR stated the authorities had broken the right of freedom and safety to all four members of the group, and that the treatment Ilie Ilaşcu suffered qualified as torture. The court also ordered Moldova and Russia — which backs Transnistria — to pay the four a total of €750,000 (US$1,000,000) in compensation for the deprivation of their freedom, and for ill treatment while in custody.
es of lacking patriotism and spreading Western influence, and developed school teaching aids along those lines containing negative and defamatory information regarding Jehovah's Witnesseses. In 2007, the US-based Christian Broadcasting Network
denounced Transnistrian KGB persecution of Protestants
.
According to the Romanian edition of Deutsche Welle
, the Transnistrian authorities announced that the crosses would be blown up and mixed with asphalt to repair the roads of the city. According to PMR News, the authorities in Transnistria are to rebury the exhumed soldiers outside of the city and authorities have taken steps so that the identities of these exhumed soldiers are not lost. No such steps have been taken to date and locals have reported bones being moved with bulldozers. A monument to Soviet soldiers is proposed to be built over the leveled graves. According to the official Transnistrian press, "Memorials dedicated to glory and monuments play an important role in the education of the young generation."
The cemetery was founded in 1812, when the graves of Swedish and Russian soldiers that died near the Tighina
Fortress in 1709 were relocated. In the 19th century, several leaders of Don cossacks, local boyars and city councilmen were buried in the cemetery. During World War II
, Romanian (the majority of the graves), German and Soviet soldiers, and Soviet POWs were buried there. Soviet graves are located in one part of the cemetery, called Borisovskoe, while the 333 Romanian graves were located in the now destroyed part, called Dragalina. 319 identified Romanian and 14 unidentified soldiers, as well as 13 Soviet prisoners were buried at this cemetery.
They were later released.
Transnistrian residents with automobiles registered in Moldova have seen their cars confiscated by Transnistrian authorities
During the Moldovan municipal elections on June 3, 2007, the Transnistrian authorities prevented the inhabitants of Corjova, a village in the security zone under the administrative control of Chişinău, from participating in the elections. A local councillor, Iurie Cotofana, was arrested and beaten badly enough to require hospitalization. Corjova's mayor, Valeriu Miţul
, - who was up for re-election - received death threats. Valentin Besleag, a candidate for Corjova's mayoral office was also arrested.
In April 2010 the journalist Ernest Vardanean
was arrested, being accused of espionage in favour of Moldova.
A similar case was that of Ilie Cazacu from Bender
, arrested in 19 March 2010 for high treason and espionage in favour of Moldova, and of Elena Dobroviţcaia, also from Bender, who was arrested because her mother went to a hospital in Chişinău instead of presenting herself at the request of the authorities from Bender. As the parents of Ilie Cazacu did not receive news about him, they started in June 2010 a hunger strike
in front of the Russian Embassy in Chişinău.
has blocked access to VoIP services including Skype to all subscribers.
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
record of Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
has been criticized by several governments and international organizations. The Republic of Moldova, as well as other states and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claim that the government of Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
is authoritarian and has a record of arbitrary arrest and torture.
With the stated aim of rectifying its human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
record and bringing it in line with European standards, Transnistria established an ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
's office in 2006.
The 2007 Freedom in the World report, published by the US-based Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
, described Transnistria as a "non-free" territory, having an equally poor record in both political rights and civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
.
Overview
In July 2007 the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, in a decision without juridical power, condemned the “strict and frequent” violation of human rights by the Transnistrian separatist authorities. The European Parliament "deplores the lack of respect for human rights and human dignity in Transnistria" and "condemns the continued repression, harassment and intimidation of representatives of the independent media, NGOs and civil society".
According to an U.S. Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
report referring to year 2006, The right of citizens to change their government was restricted[...] Authorities reportedly continued to use torture and arbitrary arrest and detention.[...]In Transnistria authorities limited freedom of speech and of the press.[...]Authorities usually did not permit free assembly.[...] In the separatist region of Transnistria the authorities continued to deny registration and harassed a number of minority religions groups.[...]The separatist region remained a significant source and transit area for trafficking in persons.[...] Homosexuality was illegal, and gays and lesbians were subject to governmental and societal discrimination.
The Republic of Moldova accuses the PMR administration of organizing incursions into some of the left-bank villages controlled by the Moldovan government such as Vasilevca, which they claim also result in arbitrary arrests, beatings and sometimes even deaths.
Several alleged crimes by the paramilitary forces of the Transnistrian government remained uninvestigated. The chairman of the Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights claimed that 20 people were killed in the village of Chiţcani
Chitcani
Chiţcani may refer to several places in Moldova:*Chiţcani, a commune in Căuşeni district*Chiţcanii Vechi, a commune in Teleneşti district, and its village of Chiţcanii Noiand to several places in Romania:...
, 5 km south of Tiraspol, between 1996 and 2000. He said that no government authority investigated these deaths because Moldova has no access to the village and Transnistrian authorities do not wish to investigate.
According to a human rights report by the US Department of State, prisons in Transnistria are said to be harsh.
According to US Department of State human rights reports for 2003–2004 and 2005, the right of citizens to change their government is severely restricted; authorities reportedly continued to use torture and arbitrary arrest and detention. Transnistrian authorities harassed independent media and opposition lawmakers, restricted freedom of association and of religion, and discriminated against Romanian-speakers.
The police investigation into the July 2004 disappearance of Sergei Gavrilov, who was imprisoned in Transnistria during the early 1990s and allegedly witnessed the mistreatment of members of the "Ilascu Group", was not solved. Transnistrian authorities have regularly harassed and often detained persons suspected of being critical of the regime for periods of up to several months. For example, Transnistrian authorities detained for several hours and reportedly abused two brothers, aged 12 and 15, who were the sons of a teacher at one of the Latin script schools in Transnistria. The Transnistria militia had reportedly explained they had detained the boys to clean the city of homeless people before the December legislative elections.
Situation of the media
According to OSCE, the media climate in Transnistria is restrictive and the authorities continue a long-standing campaign to silence independent opposition voices and groups.Alternative viewpoints were stifled by widespread censorship
According to the same U.S. Department of State report for 2006, Both of region's major newspapers were controlled by the authorities. There was one independent weekly newspaper in Bender and another in the northern city of Rîbniţa.[...]Separatist authorities harassed independent newspapers for critical reporting of the Transnistrian regime.[...]Most television and radio stations and print publication were controlled by Transnistrian authorities, which largely dictated their editorial policies and finance operations. Some broadcast networks, such as the TSV television station and the INTER-FM radio station, were owned by Transnistria's largest monopoly, Sherriff, which also holds a majority in the region's legislature.[...]In July 2005 the Transnistrian Supreme Soviet amended the election code to prohibit media controlled by the Transnistrian authorities from publishing results of polls and forecasts related to elections.
Situation of Moldovan (Romanian)-language schools
Transnistrian local authorities insist that public education for ethnic Moldovans in their mother tongue be done using the Soviet-originated Moldovan CyrillicMoldovan alphabet
The Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet is a Cyrillic alphabet designed for the Moldovan language in the Soviet Union and used from 1938 to 1989 . Its introduction was decided by the Central Executive Committee of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on May 19, 1938...
, and have restricted the usage of the Latin script for the Moldovan language
Moldovan language
Moldovan is one of the names of the Romanian language as spoken in the Republic of Moldova, where it is official. The spoken language of Moldova is closer to the dialects of Romanian spoken in northeastern Romania, and the two countries share the same literary standard...
to only 6 schools. Four schools
Moldovan schools in Transnistria
The Moldovan schools in Transnistria became an issue of contention in 2004 in the context of the disputed status of Transnistria, a breakaway region of since 1990/1992.- History :...
of the six that taught the Moldovan language using Latin script were closed by the authorities, who claimed the schools refused to apply for official accreditation. The schools were later reopened amid pressure from the European Union, but as private institutions .
In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights has declared partly admissible applications of more than 100 local residents regarding closing of three Moldovan schools in Transnistria (Tighina, Rîbniţa nd Grigoriopol), alleging the violation of their right to protection of private life, education and non-discrimination.
The OSCE mission to Moldova urged local authorities in the Transnistrian city of Rîbniţa to return a confiscated building to the Moldovan Latin script school located in the city. The unfinished building was nearing completion in 2004, when Transnistria took control of it during that year's school crisis.
In November 2005 Ion Iovcev, the principal of a Romanian-language school in Transnistria and active advocate for human rights as well as a critic of the Transnistrian leadership, received threatening calls that he attributed to his criticism of the separatist regime.
Ilie Ilaşcu Group
One of the most high profile cases involved Ilie IlaşcuIlie Ilascu
Ilie Ilaşcu is a Moldovan-born Romanian politician, famous for being sentenced to death by the separatist Transnistrian government for alleged involvement in two murders and for actions which have been described as Moldovan state-sponsored terrorism by Transnistrian government officials.-Political...
, who was convicted in 1993 of killing two Transnistrian officials. He was initially sentenced to death by Transnistria's Supreme Court. This was repealed to a life prison sentence. Three other associates were sentenced to 12 to 15 years’ imprisonment and confiscation of their property.
Ilaşcu
Ilie Ilascu
Ilie Ilaşcu is a Moldovan-born Romanian politician, famous for being sentenced to death by the separatist Transnistrian government for alleged involvement in two murders and for actions which have been described as Moldovan state-sponsored terrorism by Transnistrian government officials.-Political...
was released in 2001, following a decision of the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
, while the other three were released in 2004 and 2007 when they finished serving their sentences.
In the case of Ilaşcu and Others v. Moldova and Russia (2004), the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
(ECHR) found their detention arbitrary and did not recognize the sentence. It also demanded that Moldova and Russia release the other Ilie Ilaşcu Group members, Andrei Ivanţoc
Andrei Ivantoc
Andrei Ivanţoc is a republic of Moldovan politician. He was among the four leaders of the Tiraspol branch of the pro-Romanian Christian-Democratic People's Party of Moldova who were accused of terrorism by the authorities of the breakaway Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic .- Biography...
and Tudor Petrov-Popa
Tudor Petrov-Popa
Tudor Petrov-Popa , like Andrei Ivanţoc, is a Moldovan-born Romanian politician, arrested in Tiraspol in June 1992 by the Transnistrian separatists.-Biography:...
, at that time still imprisoned in Transnistria.
ECHR stated the authorities had broken the right of freedom and safety to all four members of the group, and that the treatment Ilie Ilaşcu suffered qualified as torture. The court also ordered Moldova and Russia — which backs Transnistria — to pay the four a total of €750,000 (US$1,000,000) in compensation for the deprivation of their freedom, and for ill treatment while in custody.
Situation of the religious groups
Some organizations claim that the right of free assembly or association is not fully respected and that religious freedom is limited by denying registration to Baptists, Methodists, and the Church of the Living God. Transnistrian authorities also reportedly accused Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
es of lacking patriotism and spreading Western influence, and developed school teaching aids along those lines containing negative and defamatory information regarding Jehovah's Witnesseses. In 2007, the US-based Christian Broadcasting Network
Christian Broadcasting Network
The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a fundamentalist Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia.-Background:...
denounced Transnistrian KGB persecution of Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
.
Profanation of military cemetery
According to the Moldavian and Romanian press, in February 2007, Transnistrian authorities "destroyed and profaned" the Drăgalina cemetery in Tighina (also known as the Romanian cemetery, which contains/contained the tombs of many World War II soldiers), thus violating Articles 34 and 130 of the 4th Geneva Convention. The Transnistrian authorities did not exhume the bodies but removed the crosses and leveled the terrain with bulldozers.According to the Romanian edition of Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
, the Transnistrian authorities announced that the crosses would be blown up and mixed with asphalt to repair the roads of the city. According to PMR News, the authorities in Transnistria are to rebury the exhumed soldiers outside of the city and authorities have taken steps so that the identities of these exhumed soldiers are not lost. No such steps have been taken to date and locals have reported bones being moved with bulldozers. A monument to Soviet soldiers is proposed to be built over the leveled graves. According to the official Transnistrian press, "Memorials dedicated to glory and monuments play an important role in the education of the young generation."
The cemetery was founded in 1812, when the graves of Swedish and Russian soldiers that died near the Tighina
Tighina
Bender or Bendery, also known as Tighina is a city within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova under de facto control of the unrecognized Transnistria Republic since 1992...
Fortress in 1709 were relocated. In the 19th century, several leaders of Don cossacks, local boyars and city councilmen were buried in the cemetery. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Romanian (the majority of the graves), German and Soviet soldiers, and Soviet POWs were buried there. Soviet graves are located in one part of the cemetery, called Borisovskoe, while the 333 Romanian graves were located in the now destroyed part, called Dragalina. 319 identified Romanian and 14 unidentified soldiers, as well as 13 Soviet prisoners were buried at this cemetery.
Recent events
In March 2007, several opponents of Transnistrian regime were arrested as they made public appeals for a protest rally against the Tiraspol regime's policy. On March 19, 2007, Transnistrian authorities also arrested Ştefan Urîtu, the head of the Moldovan Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, and two of his aides, despite the fact that Urîtu has a residence in TransnistriaThey were later released.
Transnistrian residents with automobiles registered in Moldova have seen their cars confiscated by Transnistrian authorities
During the Moldovan municipal elections on June 3, 2007, the Transnistrian authorities prevented the inhabitants of Corjova, a village in the security zone under the administrative control of Chişinău, from participating in the elections. A local councillor, Iurie Cotofana, was arrested and beaten badly enough to require hospitalization. Corjova's mayor, Valeriu Miţul
Valeriu Mitul
Valeriu Miţul is a Transnistrian Moldovan politician, opponent of the separatist regime actually in power in Transnistria.- Political activity :...
, - who was up for re-election - received death threats. Valentin Besleag, a candidate for Corjova's mayoral office was also arrested.
In April 2010 the journalist Ernest Vardanean
Ernest Vardanean
Ernest Vardanean is a journalist and political scientist who lives in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria...
was arrested, being accused of espionage in favour of Moldova.
A similar case was that of Ilie Cazacu from Bender
Bender
- Places:* Bender, Moldova, also known as Bendery or Tighina* Bender, California, a former settlement in Fresno County, California* Bender Bayla District, a district of Bari, Somalia- Fiction :...
, arrested in 19 March 2010 for high treason and espionage in favour of Moldova, and of Elena Dobroviţcaia, also from Bender, who was arrested because her mother went to a hospital in Chişinău instead of presenting herself at the request of the authorities from Bender. As the parents of Ilie Cazacu did not receive news about him, they started in June 2010 a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
in front of the Russian Embassy in Chişinău.
VoIP services blocking
Since 6 November 2010 single communication company in the region - InterdnestrcomInterdnestrcom
Interdnestrcom is a Transnistrian telecommunication company providing mobile communication services for the unrecognized territory of Transnistria in Moldova. It was established in 1998. As well as providing mobile phone services, it also provides dial-up and ISDN internet access.- Internet...
has blocked access to VoIP services including Skype to all subscribers.
See also
- Media in TransnistriaMedia in TransnistriaThe media in Transnistria, the breakaway territory within the borders of Moldova, features both state-owned or supported outlets and opposition media. The publishing languages reflect the ethnic makeup of the country, with Moldovan, Ukrainian and Russian language publications. English media is...
- Moldovan schools in TransnistriaMoldovan schools in TransnistriaThe Moldovan schools in Transnistria became an issue of contention in 2004 in the context of the disputed status of Transnistria, a breakaway region of since 1990/1992.- History :...
- RussificationRussificationRussification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
- Anti-Romanian discriminationAnti-Romanian discriminationAnti-Romanian discrimination and sentiment or "Romanian-phobia" is hostility toward or prejudice against Romanians as an ethnic, linguistic, religious, or perceived racial group, and can range from individual hatred to institutionalized, violent persecution.Anti-Romanian discrimination and...
- Crime in TransnistriaCrime in TransnistriaCrime in Transnistria covers criminality-related incidents in the breakaway Republic of Transnistria, still nominally part of Moldova.-EUBAM border controls and smuggling issues:Transnistria has a reputation of being a haven for smuggling...
External links
- Pridnestrovie.net (Official Transnistrian governmental website): "Human rights treaties signed, ratified by parliament"
- Transnistria's ombudsman
- U.S. Department of State - 2005 Report about Human Rights in Moldova with references about Transnistria
- Promolex NGO study about Human Rights in Transnistria (2008)
- Freedom House report on Transnistria