Non-governmental media organisations express their solidarity with the Journalistic Investigation Centre of the Republic of Moldova (CIJM) and express their concern about the court's decision to annul the prosecutor's order refusing to initiate criminal proceedings against the Journalistic Investigation Centre and its reporters.

 

According to the CIJM, following the publication of a journalistic investigation into the assets of ex-husbands Igor Popa (prosecutor) and Ala Popa (lawyer), the latter filed a criminal complaint against the journalists for alleged violation of the inviolability of personal life (Article 177 of the Criminal Code). After the journalists had been investigated for almost a year in a criminal trial, the prosecutor in the case issued an order refusing to prosecute on the grounds that "the act does not meet the elements of a criminal offence".

 

On 27 January 2022, the Chisinau Ciocana Court (Judge Victor Rațoi) annulled the prosecutor's order refusing to initiate criminal proceedings against CIJM, as well as the order rejecting the complaint of lawyer Ala Popa, who did not agree with the prosecutors' decisions.

 

It should be recalled that, according to the decision of the Press Council (PC), issued on the request of the National Centre for Personal Data Protection (CNPDCP), in the course of documenting the investigation that displeased the author of the criminal complaint, the Journalistic Investigation Centre did not admit violations of the rules of ethics or good journalistic practice. Similarly, the ICJM reported that at the end of 2021, prosecutors opened two criminal cases against Igor Popa for false statements and illicit enrichment, both cases based on information from the journalistic investigation.

 

Media NGOs consider that the practice of bringing criminal cases against journalists, who have exercised their mission of informing citizens on issues of public interest, is an attack on the freedom of expression of the media and freedom of the press.

 

In this context, the signatory organisations call on those who consider their rights to be infringed by the work of the media to refrain from abusing the levers provided for by law as a means of intimidating journalists and ask the law enforcement bodies to resolve criminal or misdemeanour cases against journalists in compliance with the special guarantees granted by law to the media.

 

Independent Journalism Centre

Independent Press Association

Press Freedom Committee

Media-Guard Association

"Access-Info" Centre

Association of Environmental and Environmental Tourism Journalists

Electronic Press Association