Media nongovernmental organizations expressed their concern about the restricting of the access of a team of Publika TV channel to the public meetings of the Balti Municipal Council. Later, Mayor of Balti Renato Usatyi said he will not allow journalists to take part in the meetings because he does not like how the given TV channel covers the problems faced in the municipality. In this connection, the NGOs ask that the law enforcement agencies should investigate this case and make public the results of the inquiry, IPN reports.
According to the signatories of the call, by such actions the legislation on the mass media and the Law on Local Public Administration are violated as these provide that the meetings of the local council are public and any person can take part in them. “They also stipulate that the barring of free access to the meetings of the local council or the handing of information of public interest is penalized. We draw attention that under Article 1801 of the Penal Code of the Republic of Moldova, the intentional hindering of the activity of the mass media is punishable,” says the call.
The NGOs also call on the journalists not to become involved in such conflicts and not to resort to manipulation when they cover these.
The call was signed by the Independent Journalism Center, the Association of Independent Press, the Electronic Press Association, the Journalistic Investigations Center, the Center “Acces-Info”, the Association of Independent Telejournalists and the Young Journalist’s Center of Moldova.
