Gazeta Albania

During the year, the newspaper Gazeta de Sud appealed court-awarded damages of approximately $18,000 (600 million lei) to a past prefect of Olt County, Marin Diaconescu, for its reporting on the prefect. The General Prosecutor's Office rejected the appeal. ...

The media reported that, in June, the former mayor of the city of Bacau had a phone conversation with Sebi Sufariu, of the local newspaper Gazeta de Bacau, in which he threatened the journalist with death. The former Bacau mayor accused the media of being responsible for his election defeat. The newspaper filed a complaint against the former mayor. Similarly, in Vrancea County, daily Ziarul de Vrancea allegedly received repeated pressure and threats from local officials throughout the year, including from the president of the county council. ... [Read More]

Romania

In February, a court sentenced a reporter and the daily Gazeta de Sudto to pay damages of approximately $18,000 (600 million lei) to the then prefect of Olt County, Marin Diaconescu of the PSD, for reporting that the prefect was "overwhelmed" by the situation in a local plant. In July, the media reported that unknown persons severely beat two journalists in the Jiu Valley. The journalists were known for their numerous reports on alleged illegal activities by local authorities and miners' leaders in the region. ... [Read More]

Moldova

On May 23, a court in the Transnistrian-controlled city of Bender ordered the closure of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta and fined its editors approximately $5,000 (35,000 rubles) in a libel case that many saw as politically motivated. On June 26, the Transnistrian Supreme Court ruled to return the case to the Bender court, a move that was seen as a victory for Novaya Gazeta, which continued to publish. ... [Read More]

Moldova

The Government does not restrict foreign publications. However, Western publications do not circulate widely since they are very expensive by local standards. Russian newspapers are available, and some publish a special Moldovan weekly supplement. The country receives television and radio broadcasts from Romania, France, and Russia. A small number of cable subscribers receive a variety of foreign cable television programs. Parliament prohibited the use of locally based foreign media outlets from accepting political ads and publishing editorials in favor of a particular candidate. Of the two major newspapers in Transnistria, one is controlled by the regional authorities and the other by the Tiraspol city government. There is one independent newspaper in Tiraspol and one in the northern Transnistrian city of Ribnitsa. At times the independent newspapers criticize the Transnistrian regime and have been harassed by separatist authorities. Other print media in Transnistria do not have a lar ... [Read More]

Europe and Eurasia

Ambassador Vershbow’s June interview with the newspaper Novaya Gazeta, published under the headline "We Have Concerns that Russia Is Moving Towards a New Self-Isolation," voiced concern about President Putin's criticism of Western NGOs working in Russia, rule of law problems in the Yukos case and human rights abuses in Chechnya. The Ambassador conveyed U.S. concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions and the rule of law in several other interviews with Russian newspapers and websites, and in speeches and seminars. ... [Read More]

Albania

There were a number of reports of police violence. Four DP activists from the Lezhe region were pulled over and beaten by masked special police forces on a road north of Tirana in March. In April the daily Gazeta Shqiptare reported a number of police abuse cases in Elbasan, Lushnja, and Fieri, where more than 20 persons were taken into custody and subjected to beatings and maltreatment. In May the daily Albania reported the serious maltreatment of a number of persons arrested on charges of theft of public property. While police generally handled the DP demonstrations following the October elections in a restrained manner, there were instances where police beat and mistreated DP supporters (see Section 2.b.). ... [Read More]