Entrenching Impunity: Moldova’s Response to Police Violence During the April 2009 Post-Election Demonstrations

Moldovan police beat and otherwise ill-treated at least 300 peaceful protesters of the nearly 700 they detained following the parliamentary elections in April, according to this report released by the Soros Foundation–Moldova. In at least 100 cases, the ill treatment took place inside police commissariats.

Entrenching Impunity: Moldova’s Response to Police Violence During the April 2009 Post-Election Demonstrations documents personal accounts of people who suffered beatings, sleep deprivation and verbal abuse at the hands of police after the April demonstrations. This report is the most extensive collection of information available to date on the number of individuals police apprehended during the April events.

Peaceful demonstrations to protest the outcomes of the parliamentary elections in April turned violent when a small number of demonstrators began throwing stones at police. Authorities made little effort to control rogue elements in the crowd; by the evening of April 7 they started a horrible campaign of mass arrests, which lasted a few days.

The report also offers recommendations for the new government to end impunity and restore confidence in the justice system. They include creating a truly independent public commission to continue investigations into the events in April, make public recommendations for reforms, and promote accountability.

The report, in English and Romanian, is available below. A Russian version is available from the Soros Foundation Moldova at www.soros.md.

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