ODF's Submission to the European Commission in View of The
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Moldova: from Oligarchic Pluralism to Plahotniuc's Hegemony
Centre for Eastern Studies NUMBER 208 | 07.04.2016 www.osw.waw.pl Moldova: from oligarchic pluralism to Plahotniuc’s hegemony Kamil Całus Moldova’s political system took shape due to the six-year rule of the Alliance for European Integration coalition but it has undergone a major transformation over the past six months. Resorting to skilful political manoeuvring and capitalising on his control over the Moldovan judiciary system, Vlad Plahotniuc, one of the leaders of the nominally pro-European Democra- tic Party and the richest person in the country, was able to bring about the arrest of his main political competitor, the former prime minister Vlad Filat, in October 2015. Then he pushed through the nomination of his trusted aide, Pavel Filip, for prime minister. In effect, Plahot- niuc has concentrated political and business influence in his own hands on a scale unseen so far in Moldova’s history since 1991. All this indicates that he already not only controls the judi- ciary, the anti-corruption institutions, the Constitutional Court and the economic structures, but has also subordinated the greater part of parliament and is rapidly tightening his grip on the section of the state apparatus which until recently was influenced by Filat. Plahotniuc, whose power and position depends directly on his control of the state apparatus and financial flows in Moldova, is not interested in a structural transformation of the country or in implementing any thorough reforms; this includes the Association Agreement with the EU. This means that as his significance grows, the symbolic actions so far taken with the aim of a structural transformation of the country will become even more superficial. -
Studia Politica 1 2016
www.ssoar.info Republic of Moldova: the year 2015 in politics Goșu, Armand Veröffentlichungsversion / Published Version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Goșu, A. (2016). Republic of Moldova: the year 2015 in politics. Studia Politica: Romanian Political Science Review, 16(1), 21-51. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-51666-3 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer CC BY-NC-ND Lizenz This document is made available under a CC BY-NC-ND Licence (Namensnennung-Nicht-kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung) zur (Attribution-Non Comercial-NoDerivatives). For more Information Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu den CC-Lizenzen finden see: Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.de Republic of Moldova The Year 2015 in Politics ARMAND GO ȘU Nothing will be the same from now on. 2015 is not only a lost, failed year, it is a loop in which Moldova is stuck without hope. It is the year of the “theft of the century”, the defrauding of three banks, the Savings Bank, Unibank, and the Social Bank, a theft totaling one billion dollars, under the benevolent gaze of the National Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the General Prosecutor's Office, the National Anti-Corruption Council, and the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS). 2015 was the year when controversial oligarch Vlad Plakhotniuk became Moldova's international brand, identified by more and more chancelleries as a source of evil 1. But 2015 is also the year of budding hope that civil society is awakening, that the political scene is evolving not only for the worse, but for the better too, that in the public square untarnished personalities would appear, new and charismatic figures around which one could build an alternative to the present political parties. -
Statement of the Open Dialogue Foundation on the Working Session 9: Humanitarian Issues and Other Commitments, Including
Statement of the Open Dialogue Foundation on the working session 9: Humanitarian issues and other commitments, including: combating trafficking in human beings, refugees and displaced persons, persons at risk of displacement Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, One of the fields of activity of the Open Dialogue Foundation is protection of political refugees and asylum seekers from undemocratic states. Very often political refugees from the post-Soviet countries are seeking asylum in Ukraine, whose authorities declare adherence to democratic values, but in reality cooperate with regimes in extradition issues. Political refugees often became victims of kidnapping and expulsion from Ukraine. Turkish citizens Salih Zeki Yigit and Yusuf Inan were kidnapped by Ukrainian Security Service and expelled to Turkey in 2018. Ukrainian Migration Service systematically denies the granting of asylum or subsidiary protection to those persecuted. In December 2018 Ukrainian Migration Service had refused to grant refugee status to Kazakhstani opposition journalist Zhanara Akhmetova, despite the fact that the Supreme Court of Ukraine ordered the migration service to reconsider its first negative decision. Yesterday District Administrative Court of Kyiv had refused to oblige the Migration Service to grant asylum to Akhmetova. Since 2017 Akhmetova is under the threat of being extradite or expelled from Ukraine to Kazakhstan where she faces imprisonment and tortures. Russian political refugee Alexey Vetrov unsuccessfully trying to be granted refugee status in Ukraine since 2014. The Migration Service of Ukraine denied the granting of asylum, citing that Russia is a ‘democratic state, governed by the rule of law’, where he won’t be facing any threats. The Open Dialogue Foundation urges the Ukrainian authorities, in particular the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, to pay attention to the case of Zhanara Akhmetova, Ardak Ashym and other political refugees from Kazakhstan, Russia and other undemocratic states. -
KAZAKHSTAN Human Rights Committee Briefing Paper - August 2015
THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS KAZAKHSTAN Human Rights Committee Briefing Paper - August 2015 Kazakhstan has demonstrated some interest in improving its human rights policies, consulting with civil society on reform, fulfilling Human Rights Committee (Committee) recommendations,1 and engaging with the Dialogue Platform on Human Dimension together with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Nevertheless, since the Committee’s Concluding Observations in 2011, the rights of human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society, journalists and the media in Kazakhstan guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) continue to be eroded. HRDs consistently face physical and verbal threats, intimidation, judicial harassment, and arbitrary detention.2 Legislation enshrined over the past year has entrenched pre-existing, and extended, limits on freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and religion, including disproportionate sanctions contrary to the ICCPR.3 The Committee, the European Union (EU), OSCE, various UN Special Rapporteurs, and civil society groups have all expressed concern about these regressions. RISKS TO HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS OFFICIAL RESTRICTIONS on the space for human rights defenders • Kazakhstan is characterised by the use of State legislation and apparatus to severely restrict Freedom of Opinion and Expression freedom of expression and assembly as well as human rights monitoring and promotion. • The Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief -
Moldovan Governance and Accountability
MOLDOVAN GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY Testimony for a Hearing of the U.S. Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe March 10, 2020 William H. Hill Global Fellow Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars I wish to thank the Helsinki Commission, in particular Chairman Hastings and Co-Chairman Wicker, for this opportunity to address important developments and ongoing issues in the Republic of Moldova. Events over the past year in Moldova have once again raised hopes that this country was finally shaking off the persistent ills of its post-Soviet history and embarking on a clear path of reform and movement toward fuller rule of law and economic prosperity. Unfortunately, similar to what happened a decade ago, hopeful movement toward real reform has strayed into a familiar pattern of cronyism, political reprisals, and geopolitical posturing. There is a growing, real fear that Moldova has lost its opportunity and movement toward constructive change, and lapsed back into a familiar pattern of continued corruption, impoverishment, and depopulation. Moldova is not a large, powerful, or obviously influential country, but it is important for Europe and the United States in a number of ways. The weakness of Moldova’s institutions and the country’s enduring poverty hamper the capacity of the broader international community to address regional security issues, such as smuggling, trafficking, migration, organized crime, and public health. Institutional weakness, social discord, and poverty on the right bank of the Nistru River contribute to the continuing failure to resolve the Transdniestrian conflict. As a result, the continuing existence of the unrecognized separatist entity on the left bank benefits corrupt elites, not only in the separatist entity, but throughout Moldova, other countries in the region, and around the globe. -
Joint Stakeholder Submission by the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), the Human Rights Defenders E.V. and the Arrested Lawyers
Joint Stakeholder Submission by the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), the Human Rights Defenders e.V. and the Arrested Lawyers Initiative to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review – TURKEY 35th Session (Jan.-Feb. 2020) ARBITRARY APPLICATION OF ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS AND CRIMINALIZATION OF USING AN I- MESSAGE APPLICATION (BYLOCK) 16 July 2019 1 Joint Stakeholder Submission by the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), the Human Rights Defenders e.V. and the Arrested Lawyers Initiative to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review – TURKEY 35th Session (Jan.-Feb. 2020) ARBITRARY APPLICATION OF ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS AND CRIMINALIZATION OF USING AN I-MESSAGE APPLICATION (BYLOCK) I. SUBMITTERS a. The Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) was established in Poland in 2009 on the initiative of Ukrainian student and civic activist Lyudmyla Kozlovska (who currently serves as President of the Foundation). Since its founding, statutory objectives of the Foundation include the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the post-Soviet area. The Foundation originally focused its attention primarily on Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and – since 2016 – Moldova, but this area of interest was expanded in July 2017 due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Poland and other EU member states affected by illiberal policies implemented by their populist governments. ODF pursues its goals through the organisation of observation missions, monitoring especially individual human rights’ violation cases. The Foundation also has extensive experience in the field of protection of the rights of political prisoners and refugees. Based on its work, ODF publishes analytical reports and distributes them among the UN, EU institutions, OSCE, Council of Europe, foreign ministries and parliaments. -
Migration and the Ukraine Crisis a Two-Country Perspective This E-Book Is Provided Without Charge Via Free Download by E-International Relations (
EDITED BY AGNIESZKA PIKULICKA-WILCZEWSKA & GRETA UEHLING Migration and the Ukraine Crisis A Two-Country Perspective This e-book is provided without charge via free download by E-International Relations (www.E-IR.info). It is not permitted to be sold in electronic format under any circumstances. If you enjoy our free e-books, please consider leaving a small donation to allow us to continue investing in open access publications: http://www.e-ir.info/about/donate/ i Migration and the Ukraine Crisis A Two-Country Perspective EDITED BY AGNIESZKA PIKULICKA-WILCZEWSKA & GRETA UEHLING ii E-International Relations www.E-IR.info Bristol, England 2017 ISBN 978-1-910814-27-7 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-910814-28-4 (e-book) This book is published under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 license. You are free to: • Share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format • Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the material Under the following terms: • Attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. • Non-Commercial – You may not use the material for commercial purposes. Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission. Please contact [email protected] for any such enquiries, including for licensing and translation requests. Other than the terms noted above, there are no restrictions placed on the use and dissemination of this book for student learning materials / scholarly use. -
Public Opinion Survey Residents of Moldova
Public Opinion Survey Residents of Moldova March 2016 Detailed Methodology • The survey was coordinated and analyzed by Dr. Rasa Ališauskienė from public opinion and market research company Baltic Surveys/The Gallup Organization on behalf of the International Republican Institute. The field work was carried out by Magenta Consulting. • Data was collected throughout Moldova (except in Transnistria) between March 11-25, 2016 through face-to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. • The main sample consisted of 1,500 permanent residents of Moldova older than the age of 18 and eligible to vote with an oversample in the capital Chisinau. It is representative of the general population by age, gender, education, region and size of the settlement. • Multistage probability sampling method was used with the random route and next birthday respondent’s selection procedures. • Stage one: all districts of Moldova are grouped into 11 groups. All regions of Moldova were surveyed. • Stage two: selection of the settlements: cities and villages. o Settlements were selected at random. o The number of selected settlements in each region was proportional to the share of population living in a particular type of the settlement in each region. • Stage three: primary sampling units were described. • The margin of error does not exceed plus or minus 2.8 percent. • Response rate was 50 percent. • Charts and graphs may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. • The survey was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy. 2 Overwhelming Dissatisfaction with Status -
December 05, 2018 OPEN LETTER from NON-GOVERNMENTAL
December 05, 2018 OPEN LETTER FROM NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN SUPPORT OF A TARGETED, GLOBAL EU HUMAN RIGHTS SANCTIONS REGIME Dear Ministers of Foreign Affairs, We, the 90 undersigned organizations dedicated to the promotion of universal human rights and/or the fight against corruption, write to voice our strong support for the Foreign Affairs Council to initiate a process aimed at establishing an EU-wide program for the imposition of targeted sanctions on individuals and entities deemed responsible for serious human rights violations. Noting that the Foreign Affairs Council will take up this matter on December 10, 2018—the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—we urge all state representatives to honor the Declaration by supporting action on such a sanctions regime, and, in so doing, beginning the process of providing the EU with an additional, critical tool to combat impunity and defend human rights worldwide. Today more than ever, we recognize that the promotion and protection of equal and inalienable rights form the basis of justice, peace, and security. Where human rights are violated and corruption is allowed to flourish, individuals are less safe and communities are less stable and secure. With universal human rights and the rule of law under significant challenge globally, now is thus an opportune moment to take an unmistakable step forward in defense of our common values. As we have seen in countries that have enacted and utilized “Global Magnitsky” sanctions laws to date, a global human rights and anti-corruption sanctions program can serve as a vital addition to the diplomatic and legal toolkit essential to upholding human rights and the rule of law. -
Public Opinion Survey Residents of Moldova
Public Opinion Survey Residents of Moldova September 2016 Detailed Methodology • The survey was coordinated by Dr. Rasa Ališauskienė from the public opinion and market research company, Baltic Surveys/The Gallup Organization on behalf of the International Republican Institute. The field work was carried out by Magenta Consulting. • Data was collected throughout Moldova (with the exception of Transnistria) between September 1–23, 2016 through face- to-face interviews at respondents’ homes. • The main sample consisted of 1,516 permanent residents of Moldova older than the age of 18 and eligible to vote. The survey also contained an oversample in the capital of Chisinau. It is representative of the general population by age, gender, education, region and size of the settlement. • Multistage probability sampling method was used with the random route and next birthday respondent’s selection procedures. • Stage One: All districts of Moldova are grouped into 11 groups. All regions of Moldova were surveyed. • Stage Two: Selection of the settlements – cities and villages. o Settlements were selected at random. o The number of selected settlements in each region was proportional to the share of population living in a particular type of the settlement in each region. • Stage Three: Primary sampling units were described. • The margin of error does not exceed plus or minus 2.8 percent. • The response rate was 61 percent. • Charts and graphs may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding. • The survey was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy. -
Moldova's Political Crisis Abates
CRS INSIGHT Moldova's Political Crisis Abates June 20, 2019 (IN11137) | Related Author Cory Welt | Cory Welt, Specialist in European Affairs ([email protected], 7-0530) On June 14, 2019, a political crisis in Moldova ended when leaders of the formerly ruling Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) agreed to dissolve the outgoing government in favor of a new coalition. The coalition includes a reform- oriented, Western-leaning alliance, ACUM (or "Now"), and the socially conservative, Russian-leaning Party of Socialists, which placed first in Moldova's February 2019 elections. Moldova is one of three post-Soviet states that, together with Ukraine and Georgia, have sought greater integration with the West while coping with separatist territories occupied by Russian forces. Many Members of Congress have long supported Moldova's democratic trajectory and territorial integrity and have called on Russia to respect Moldova's sovereignty and withdraw its military forces. Growing Discontent Moldova's political environment was increasingly contentious before the recent crisis. The PDM gained power in 2016 after the prior government collapsed amid fallout from a bank fraud case involving the alleged loss of some $1 billion, equivalent to more than 12% of Moldova's gross domestic product. ACUM leaders and many observers contend that the PDM, in particular party leader and wealthy businessman Vlad Plahotniuc, effectively "captured" Moldova's state institutions for personal and party gain. In summer 2018, mass protests opposed a court decision to annul a snap mayoral election in Chisinau, Moldova's capital, which had been won by Andrei Nastase, who later became one of ACUM's two co-leaders. -
Participant List
Participant List 10/20/2019 8:45:44 AM Category First Name Last Name Position Organization Nationality CSO Jillian Abballe UN Advocacy Officer and Anglican Communion United States Head of Office Ramil Abbasov Chariman of the Managing Spektr Socio-Economic Azerbaijan Board Researches and Development Public Union Babak Abbaszadeh President and Chief Toronto Centre for Global Canada Executive Officer Leadership in Financial Supervision Amr Abdallah Director, Gulf Programs Educaiton for Employment - United States EFE HAGAR ABDELRAHM African affairs & SDGs Unit Maat for Peace, Development Egypt AN Manager and Human Rights Abukar Abdi CEO Juba Foundation Kenya Nabil Abdo MENA Senior Policy Oxfam International Lebanon Advisor Mala Abdulaziz Executive director Swift Relief Foundation Nigeria Maryati Abdullah Director/National Publish What You Pay Indonesia Coordinator Indonesia Yussuf Abdullahi Regional Team Lead Pact Kenya Abdulahi Abdulraheem Executive Director Initiative for Sound Education Nigeria Relationship & Health Muttaqa Abdulra'uf Research Fellow International Trade Union Nigeria Confederation (ITUC) Kehinde Abdulsalam Interfaith Minister Strength in Diversity Nigeria Development Centre, Nigeria Kassim Abdulsalam Zonal Coordinator/Field Strength in Diversity Nigeria Executive Development Centre, Nigeria and Farmers Advocacy and Support Initiative in Nig Shahlo Abdunabizoda Director Jahon Tajikistan Shontaye Abegaz Executive Director International Insitute for Human United States Security Subhashini Abeysinghe Research Director Verite