Moldovan experts disapprove of Russian State Duma's declaration on anti-propaganda law

Chisinau, 24 January /MOLDPRES/ - The State Duma of Russia today adopted a declaration on the inadmissibility of discriminating the Russian mass media in Moldova. Moldovan political analysts disapproved of the decision by the Russian lawmakers, describing it as an attempt of Moscow to maintain its influence in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).    

Contacted by MOLDPRES, political analyst Corneliu Ciurea said the declaration by the Russian MPs was the expression of Russia’s political decision. “Moscow is not contented with the anti-propaganda law, even if it does not regard directly the Russia media and I do not believe that this declaration, passed today, will have serious consequences for Moldova,” Ciurea said.   

Analyst Oazu Nantoi told MOLDPRES that “Russia is a state serious ill with imperialism and the Duma lawmakers behaved consequently.”

Today morning, the lawmakers of the Russian State Duma adopted a declaration on the inadmissibility of the discrimination of the Russian mass media in Moldova. In the text, the Russian lawmakers invoked the fact that the ban on the broadcasting of Russian analytical programmes on the territory of Moldova is an infringement of the international legal norms in the sector of free access to information. Also, the Russian Mps describe such actions as “another anti-Russian act.”  

Also today, the Russian lawmakers urged the United Nations Organization, Council of Europe and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to give a mark to the anti-propaganda law, passed in Moldova, and demanded that  Russia’s leadership undertakes a string of measures, in order to find other ways and methods for Russian journalistic products to reach the Moldovans’ houses.     

In an interview, the leader of the Moldovan Democratic Party (PDM), Vlad Plahotniuc, said that “Russia’s State Duma should first bring for discussion the aggressive campaigns of manipulation promoted by more televisions from Russia, in which Moldova is presented humiliatingly, the Moldovans are offended and what happens in our country is presented in long commentaries full of lies. We would like, also, that the Duma discusses the abusive way the FSB (Federal Security Service) and other state’s institutions act against Moldova and our officials. In reality, however, we have to do with a more and more obvious involvement of entities from Russia in the political activity from our country.”     

In late last year, the Moldovan parliament adopted a draft law which provides for the amendment of the Audiovisual Code. The document establishes that Moldova will allow the broadcasting on its territory of only the TV and radio programmes with informative, analytical, military and political content which are produced in the member states of the European Union, the USA, Canada, as well as in the countries which ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television – a document which has not been ratified by Russia.   

President Igor Dodon turned down the law twice. Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu promulgated the law on 10 January, following a decision by the Constitutional Court, which had found out the existence of circumstances justifying the exercising of the interim duties of the position of head of state for the law’s promulgation.   

(Reporter A. Zara, editor  L. Alcaza)