Republic of Moldova

92 CASES OF HUMAN RIGHTS INFRIGMENTS WERE CLAIMED AT GREEN LINE

Chişinău, 2 September 2009 – 92 complains of human rights infringements were registered in the two month of activity of the "green line" of the Center for Human Rights. Persons who called to the phone number 0-8001-2222 were provided free of charge legal aid, all cases being registered by specialists within the institution.

Persons who called to "green line" claimed, mostly, cases of infringement of rights to social assistance and social protection, rights of children, family, persons with handicaps and pensioners, right to property, right to health care, freedom of movement, access to justice, equitable court case and access to information. Also, there were claimed three reported cases of abuse in detention. In the latter cases, the National Preventive Mechanism carried out documentation visits and informed the competent law enforcement bodies, requesting to initiate penal cases against the persons guilty for applying torture or degrading treatment or punishment.

In the case of an infant who complained that the policemen ill-treated him, the Prosecutor Office disposed to start a penal investigation at the request of Ombudsman. The minor declared that he had been recently arrested and interrogated without having a lawyer or a legal representative or a teacher/psychologist. The boy said that during the night he was beaten by policemen till he lost consciousness. He waked up the next day in the street. Later on, medical-legal expertise proved that the teenager had a rib fractured. The minor's mother submitted a complain to the Prosecutor Office requesting explanations regarding the arrest of her son and requesting to start a penal investigation against the policemen who tortured her son. The women declared that while she was waiting for an answer she was fined with 200 lei for "not keeping an eye on her son".

After the teenager's mother called to the "Green Line" of the Center for Human Rights, the Ombudsman gathered documentary evidences and requested Prosecutor Office to initiate a penal case against the policemen guilty for applying degrading treatment. Recently, the Prosecutor Office disposed to start a penal investigation.

The "green line" of the Centre for Human Rights was launched on July 1, 2009, with support of the Torture Prevention Project, funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme. The citizens may claim the human rights violation cases, especially the cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, calling the phone number 0-8001-2222. From 8.00 to 20.00 the legal experts register torture and human rights violation cases and provide free of charge legal consultations to the victims. Everyone is encouraged to call to the "green line" for claiming the cases of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as in cases of other forms of human rights abuse.

The "green line" is one of the activities of the Torture Prevention Project, funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, which aims to contribute to information, examination and prevention of torture cases, thus ensuring a better protection of human rights in Moldova.

For contact: Daniela Cotici, UNDP Moldova Project Manager, tel. 245079, e-mail: daniela.cotici@undp.org or Irina Lazur, Communication and Information Coordinator, tel. 232523, e-mail: irina.lazur@un.md

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