Irina Vlah, the founder of “Platforma Moldova”, published a new address – this time to the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe, which “is based on the deplorable situation in the Republic of Moldova in terms of democracy and human rights, which has constantly worsened in the last almost four years. Coming to power with democratic slogans, the Action and Solidarity Party and personally President Maia Sandu have established a de facto dictatorship, and every day that they are in power they move the Republic of Moldova further and further away from democracy”, informs TRIBUNA.

In her address, Irina Vlah also mentions:

„Pursuing narrow partisan interests, Maia Sandu and her team have destroyed freedom of expression, closed over 60 inconvenient media institutions, brought most of Moldova’s press under total control, and persecuted, intimidated, and marginalized citizens with differing views from the government.

Today, the Republic of Moldova cannot even formally be called a rule of law state anymore. The so-called justice reform, launched with great fanfare by Maia Sandu’s government, has failed; the judiciary is either weakly functional or politically controlled by the government. Thus, citizens have been deprived of the fundamental right to freely access justice. Today, justice in Moldova is carried out on television or through public statements by those in power – Maia Sandu and her colleagues, by their statements, indicate who is guilty and who, even if there are sufficient suspicions of corruption or abuse, shouldn’t be touched because they are “good people,” “one of us.” The fundamental right of presumption of innocence in Moldova has effectively been abolished.

Equally serious is the situation regarding the prosecutor’s office. As you are well aware, since 1995 Moldova has been under the Council of Europe’s monitoring precisely because of shortcomings in reforming the prosecutor’s office. What Maia Sandu and her team have done within the prosecutor’s office has further delayed Moldova’s fulfillment of the obligations undertaken in 1995. In recent years, every possible string has been pulled, all competitions rigged, just so that Maia Sandu and her team could have political control over the prosecutor’s system, which is unacceptable in a rule of law state.

Even more serious is the situation regarding the functioning of democratic institutions – currently, in the Republic of Moldova, practically all institutions do not operate in the interest of citizens, but in the interest of the ruling party. People do not feel safe, partly because Moldova has become the only country in Europe where citizens’ access to their own country is limited, and sometimes even prohibited.

After almost three years of PAS governance in the Republic of Moldova, practically nothing remains to indicate that we are still a democratic state – no free press, no functioning democratic institutions, no independent judiciary, no assured and respected human rights, etc. Maia Sandu’s team is rapidly leading us towards dictatorship, and it is particularly grave that dictatorship is being established in Moldova under pro-European, pro-democratic slogans.

The Council of Europe is the pillar of democracy and freedom at the European level. Whenever necessary, the Council of Europe has proven its commitment to democratic values through concrete actions.

Therefore, my request to you is to establish an effective monitoring mechanism for the state of democracy in the Republic of Moldova, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the situation in our country, to examine the issue through the platforms available to you (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities), and to provide the necessary verdicts and recommendations, however harsh they may sound. Democracy in the Republic of Moldova is in danger, and your prompt intervention can save the situation, potentially guiding our country back onto a normal path of development, as implied by our membership in the Council of Europe!

I hope that my request will be treated appropriately.”