A number of people gathered together in front of the Parliament Building on Monday on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the April 7 events. The participants leveled criticism at the current government, noting that today we are again at a historic crossroads and the autumn elections will show where the country will head for and to which world it will belong in the future. Among those who spoke were former Prime Minister Vlad Filat, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLDM), and his former party mate, journalist Ion Terguță. The latter is also the one who announced the event, IPN reports.
"It was a day that marked a new turning point in the history of the Republic of Moldova. The young people of Moldova were the voice of a generation that demanded changes. On that day, the history of the Republic of Moldova changed and the foundations of a new geostrategic orientation were laid. Our European path was decided here, in this Square, through the protest of thousands of young people," said Ion Terguță.
According to him, four people lost their lives during the April 7 protests, but the then regime officially recognized only the death of Valeriu Boboc. He died on the night of April 8, 2009, in the Great National Assembly Square, after he was beaten by the police. The other victims are young people who were found with multiple traumas associated with the events that took place downtown, but the cases were presented as suicides.
The participants in the event observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims.
"After 16 years, I have the feeling that history repeats itself and I'm sure you feel the same way. Not exactly in the same form, but with the same patterns. The authoritarian regime of the communists was replaced by a new, clientelist and equally authoritarian one, now led by the Party of Action and Solidarity. We all observe the same methods – the state institutions are seized, the press is controlled, the opposition is intimidated," said former PLDM deputy chairman Ion Terguță.
The leader of the PLDM, ex-prime minister Vlad Filat, said that after 16 years, things have not changed – the people are not leaving but are fleeing the Republic of Moldova; the economy is destroyed; life is becoming harder and harder. "Maia Sandu and her PAS do not represent the solution to the problems faced in the Republic of Moldova and they must be removed from the government," said Vlad Filat.
According to him, those who say that they are few, must know that this is just the beginning. "The next meeting will be much broader, with much clearer demands and, I assure you, with much better results," noted the former prime minister.
At the end of the event, the participants adopted a resolution in which they mention that they cannot justify censorship, abuses against the opposition, capture and politicization of state institutions. Democracy is the only framework in which security can be legitimate, sustainable and effective. The resolution calls on the citizens to be vigilant and involved and urges the EU and the international community not to tolerate totalitarianism.
