The policeman Andrei Amarfi, being the employee of the Floresti District Police Office, was abducted this morning. There are serious suspicions that the kidnappers were the so-called Special Forces from the Transnistrian region. According to an explanation note published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Republic of Moldova, the management of the Floresti District Police Office was alerted by the policeman’s wife, residing in Camenca – a village from the Transnistrian region. The woman reported that her husband was abducted by unknown persons, with hoods on their faces and clothes with the inscription “KGB”.

“The law enforcement officer was loaded in an unidentified car and taken in an unknown direction,” is also mentioned in the note. A criminal investigation was started, finding that the police officer was actually abducted. The Prosecutor’s Office from Floresti filed a criminal case for “abduction of a person and usurpation of official functions”, according to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova.

“Such actions are inadmissible, illegal and violate the most fundamental human rights, being a constant challenge lately,” said Cristina Lesnic, Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration. She called for the Transnistrian side to provide explanations on this case.

At the same time, the subject was brought to the attention of the mediators in the 5 + 2 format, the Council of Europe Office in the Republic of Moldova and the United Nations Representation in the Republic of Moldova. Additionally, it will be addressed by the Delegation of the Republic of Moldova in this week’s meeting of the Unified Control Commission, as being highlighted in a press release of the Bureau for Reintegration Policies of Moldova.

In the meantime, the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) of the Republic of Moldova noted that the employees of the so-called Tiraspol Security Ministry were found as participating in the abduction. “The preliminary materials will be sent to the Office of the Prosecutor General in support of the legal proceedings instituted in the given case.”

“The Security and Intelligence Service ascertained an amplification of provocative activities with a destabilizing character implemented by the force structures operating on the left bank of the Dniester. […] the Service established and documented, during 2020, multiple cases of seizure and abduction of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.”

The SIS and MIA representatives declared that the available forces were mobilised to establish all the circumstances and to perform all the necessary actions for the emergency release of the citizen of the Republic of Moldova.

On October 8, the MIA and the Government representatives declared that another resident of Camenca was detained, being suspected by the Tiraspol authorities of allegedly illegal actions. Later, the chairman of the Parliament’s Security Committee, Alexandru Jizdan, announced that two other citizens had been abducted by the so-called Tiraspol force structures.

“Likewise, we have obtained information regarding the detention of other persons whose activity is incriminated as being in the interest the institutions of the Republic of Moldova. […] We perceive these hostile actions committed in the middle of the election campaign as a possible attempt to influence the democratic processes in the Republic of Moldova,” is mentioned in a recent press release of the Security and Intelligence Service of the Republic of Moldova.

According to the Promo-LEX Association, the main cause of these ongoing violations is the lack the real mechanisms to protect victims and to punish those guilty. “It seems that the epidemiological situation and the effects of the Tiraspol administration declaring a state of emergency (additional installation of checkpoints and blocking of the administrative border) are used to strengthen effective control in the Transnistrian region through brutal measures to intimidate residents in the area, as well as serious violations of fundamental human rights,” is stated in the note of the association.

Photo: unimedia.info

On November 1, Transnistrian residents will be able to leave the region in order to vote in the presidential elections of the Republic of Moldova. The decision was taken by the Transnistrian Commission for the Management of the COVID-19 Pandemic. “The decision was made at citizens’ request. The Transnistrian side held consultations with the Moldovan side and requested to ensure all quarantine measures at the polling stations located near the border,” as the Transnistrian media reported.

Previously, the Transnistrian leader, Vadim Krasnoselski, proposed the quarantine regime extension for crossing the so-called border until December 1, 2020. Transnistrian authorities claimed that movement restrictions were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A document in this regard was published by the Tiraspol management administration.

See also: The freedom of movement in Transnistria is still restricted until December 2020

Currently, Transnistrian residents are not allowed to leave or enter the region without a special permit issued by the separatist authorities.

On September 29, the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova (CEC) informed that a total of 2143 polling stations will be organised for presidential elections, out of which 139 polling stations for citizens of the Republic of Moldova living abroad and 42 polling stations for citizens living in Transnistria.

The pre-registration process for the establishment of polling stations abroad and for the voters on the left bank of the Dniester was identified as being a possible source of electoral fraud. Opposition party leaders have issued warnings regarding that, as controlled transport of voters from the region was organised in the 2019 parliamentary elections.

See also: Presidential elections in 2020: reporting irregularities and fraud

The European officials are also aware of falsified pre-registration applications for establishing polling stations in the Russian Federation and the probable vote-buying schemes that involve Transnistrian residents, calling for the CEC to abide by the rules and ensure a free and fair election campaign for all candidates. “Any manipulation or deviation from democratic standards will result in a strong condemnation and a revision of the EU-Moldova relations,” is mentioned in the MEPs note.

Photo: unimedia.info

The Transnistrian leader, Vadim Krasnoselski, proposed the quarantine regime extension when it comes to border crossing until December 1, 2020. Transnistrian authorities claimed that movement restrictions were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A document in this regard was published by the Tiraspol management administration.

Previously, restrictions on entering and leaving the region were due to expire on September 30. Since March 2020, Transnistria’s residents were allowed to travel outside the region only in emergency cases. Until the beginning of July, residents working outside the region were receiving special permits. The inhabitants who had to attend relatives’ funerals or leave for treatment also were supposed to apply for such permits.

As of July 3, permission to leave Transnistria started to be granted for a period of 12 hours or more, Transnistria’s inhabitants being required to indicate the reason for crossing the so-called border. At the same time, entering the territory of the Transnistrian region still remained restricted.

The exception to this regulations represented the residents of the Transnistria’s villages under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldova. Those people could freely cross the border with the Republic of Moldova, but only starting June 3. When Transnistrian authorities observed that some residents register in such settlements in order to be able to move freely on a systematic basis, it was decided to extend the permitting norm only to persons whose registration in the designated administrative units was submitted before June 3.

The Bureau for Reintegration Policies of Moldova has published a message expressing its regret over the decisions taken in Tiraspol.

“Without diminishing the importance of the epidemiological crisis and the need to protect the population from the risk of infection, the Bureau considers that the virus should not be used for political purposes and as a justification for human rights violations.

The health crisis generated by the pandemic is a tough test for all state authorities and their ability to intervene and adapt to new circumstances. The access to work, health services, education, free movement can not be hindered even more for the inhabitants who need to go outside the region,” is stated in the Bureau’s note.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 320 000 citizens of the Republic of Moldova have been limited to move freely from one bank of the Dniester to another. The roads connecting the Transnistrian localities with the mainland Moldova have been blocked by 37 illegal border checkpoints and barriers installed by separatists during the pandemic crisis.

The authorities from Transnistria announced that 11 out of 37 border checkpoints will be still kept “to minimise the import of the virus”, despite the requirements of the Republic of Moldova. Krasnoselski does not even exclude the possibility that the number of checkpoints increases if the epidemiological situation deteriorates. “Considering that the pandemic is still not receding, and the cold season is approaching, it was discussed that temporary checkpoints need to be  provided with heat and electricity,” a media outlet cited the Transnistrian leader press service.

As of September 16, 2815 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Transnistria. 1882 people are reported as recovered and 75 persons died.

Photo: Transnistrian Customs Committee Press Service