Remark of Foreign Ministry

07/28/21

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted a statement by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Relations, US Department of State, regarding court rulings related to several nationals of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.

The above rulings were taken by the judicial authorities in full compliance with the current legislation of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, which is equal for all citizens of the country. The persons mentioned in the statement have access to all procedural mechanisms to protect their rights and interests, including court independently and via their legal representatives.

It is unpromising and unconvincing to place emphasis on certain names against the background of ignoring egregious cases of gross violation by Moldova of the rights of the Pridnestrovians.

In this regard, we urge the United States, as one of the observers in the negotiation process, to pay attention and publicly express its opinion on the case of the former Pridnestrovian law enforcement officer, Andrei Samoniy, who was unreasonably detained by the security forces of Moldova and illegally sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Unlike the cases of Gennady Chorba and Mikhail Ermuraki, as exclusively internal affairs of Pridnestrovie, the unsubstantiated verdict to Andrei Samoniy serves as a mechanism of intimidation and forceful pressure of Kishinev on the citizens of Pridnestrovie and is directly related to the settlement process, being actively discussed during the negotiations in the context of Moldova's failure to comply with the agreements on termination criminal prosecution of officials.