A national and international campaign initiated by ZIUA and Civic Media Association

Free the Romanians jailed in Tiraspol!

Sign at [email protected] or at www.ziua.net

To: The Administration of the United States of America, US Congress, Presidential Administration of Russian Federation, Russian Parliament, Presidency of Republic of Moldavia, Moldavian Parliament, Presidency of Romania, Romanian Parliament, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Stability Pact, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, International Committee of the Red Cross.

Your Excellencies,

Three Romanians - Andrei Ivantoc, Alexandru Lesco and Tudor Petrov-Popa - were kidnapped and detained by "Soviet Transdniestrian Militia" on July, 1992. At first, the three of them were kept in the arrest of the 14th Russian Army Headquarters, afterwards being handed over to the self-proclaimed "transdniestrian authorities". These authorities, after a trial that took place in Tiraspol, a city which is theoretically under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Moldavia, condemned the three of them by a judicial mockery without any trace of an international law criterion.

According to the US congressman Denis J. Kucinich, the members of "IIascu's group" were in fact condemned for political reasons, due to the fact the they have been active in the Popular Christian Democratic Party of the Republic of Moldavia.

Presently, the health of the three Romanians is extremely worrying: Andrei Ivantoc is on hunger strike since December 2003, Alexandru Lesco suffers from severe psychical affections and Tudor Petrov Popa was contaminated with tuberculosis during his stay in prison, also finding himself in a severe health state. Their regime included in those 11 years of illegal detention tortures and other degrading means of dehumanization.

According to the complaint against the Republic of Moldavia and Russian Federation, handed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the 14th of July 1999, registered under case number 48787/99, the three Romanians suffered the violation of the following provisions of ECHR: the right to be exempt from torture (art 3), the right to freedom and safety (art 5), the right to a fair trial (art 6), the right to respect for the private and family life (art 8).

The Government of Romania offered its expertise to ECHR and on the 7th of January 2004, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs asked ECHR to analyze the possibility to dispose, as an emergency case, the means to improve the situation of the Romanian citizen Andrei Ivantoc, who's on hunger strike.

We inform you that the so called trans-dniestrian problem, which affects at the same time the eastern borders of the future European Union and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is sustained by the Russian Federation, by means of constant action and concrete steps, among which are: the Agreement signed on the 21st of July 1992, in Moscow by the Russian president at that time, Boris Eltin and president of Moldavia, Mircea Snegur, designed to end the armed conflict; the breakaway leader Igor Smirnov has a passport issued by the Russian Federation; the declaration of Russian State Duma which affirms Transdniestria as a strategic interest area; the failure of respecting the date for the retreat of the Russian 14th Army, according to the agreement assumed at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul, 1999; the declaration of Russian Defense Minister, Serghei Ivanov, towards the establishment of Russian troops until 2020, on the territory of the unrecognized state entity.

According to these facts, we ask for your intervention by the Russian Federation, european and international organizations, for the unconditioned release of the three Romanian political detainees

Their lives depend on you as well.

ZIUA Newspaper

Sorin Rosca Stanescu
General Manager

Civic Media Association

Victor Roncea
Coordinator

Please be so kind to keep us informed about your actions.
Thank you.

ZIUA Newspaper is one of the leading dailies of Romania, active for the process of integrating Romania in the euro-atlantic community.

Civic Media Association is a group of journalists and civic activist acting in Central and South Eastern Europe for the defending of human rights and freedom of expression in order to consolidate democracy in the region.

We have gather an important number of signatures which we will send them as well when their number will grow more. Until now, the following organizations are appealing as well along with us:

Consiliul Mondial Roman/ World Romanian Council, USA;
Consiliul Romano-American/Romanian-American Council, California, USA;
Centrul Cultural Romano-American/Romanian-American Cultural Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA;
Uniunea Mondiala a Romanilor Liberi/ World Union of Free Romanians;
Asociatia Culturala Romano-Americana/Romanian American Cultural Association, Florida, SUA;
Youth for a Better World, Atlanta, Georgia, SUA;
"Viitorul Roman"/"Romanian Future", California, SUA;
Romfest XXI Foundation, USA
Fundatia Culturala "Poiana"/ "Poiana" Cultural Foundation, Bucuresti, Romania;
Forumul Presei Romane de Pretutindeni/ World Romanian Press Forum, Bucuresti, Romania;
Liga Jurnalistilor Sibiu/ Journalists League Sibiu, Romania;
Asociatia Ziaristilor de Agentie/ Association of Agency Journalists, Romania;
Juristii pentru Drepturile Omului/ Lawyers for Human Rights, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova;
ONG Hyde Park, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Liga Tinerilor Romani de Pretutindeni/ League of Young Romanians from the World, Romania;
Asociatia Fostilor Detinuti Politici/ Association of Former Political Prisoniers, Romania;