Moldovan activist Pavel Grigorchuk beaten by oligarch’s police

“The PDM [Democratic Party of Moldova] mafia headed by [oligarch Vlad] Plahotniuc decided to give us a greeting through their policemen. Tonight at his front door, Pavel Grigorchuk was beaten, taken to the police precinct of Riscani, held on the floor barefoot and handcuffed with his arms twisted, then released,” wrote Grigory Petrenko on social media on Monday, February 27.

The former deputy said that Grigorchuk was beaten for taking an interest in the case of Plato.

“Before releasing him, one who played the role of ‘good cop’ directly told him that Pavel should not be so engaged and it is futile for him to be interested in the case of Plato. And that Pavel and his relatives will be fine, if he behaves,” said Petrenko.

Law enforcement authorities have not yet commented on the incident.

*Translator’s note: Vyacheslav Plato is a wealthy capitalist recently deported from Ukraine at the request of the Moldovan government and subsequently jailed. Activists believe he was imprisoned for knowing too much about the role of Vlad Plahotniuc, Moldova’s top oligarch, in the scandalous “theft of a billion” from the country’s banking system.

Pavel Grigorchuk is the editor of Grenada.md. The communist and anti-fascist leader has been a frequent target of the oligarch regime. He is one of the “Petrenko Group” who were imprisoned for several months in 2015-2016 for protesting and are currently on trial facing up to 8 years in prison.
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Beaten activist accused the Interior Ministry of public disinformation

An activist of the party “Our Home is Moldova,” Pavel Grigorchuk, denied statements by the police press service that he was already beaten up when discovered by law enforcement officers.

“I hasten to disappoint the press service of the Interior Ministry. First, I live at Botanica, and not on Riscani, for a long time. That fact is quite well known to many of my friends and I don’t hide it,” wrote Grigorchuk on social media.

At the same time, he stressed that he did not have any conflicts with colleagues: “After I was released, I returned to my comrades, and in fact, while I was on the phone in the police station explaining to my comrades where I was, the police took my shoes so I couldn’t get away by foot from the station.”

“I especially like the police argument that I was detained after I was already beaten. We live in a country where a defendant ‘accidentally’ hits his head during removal from the courtroom, where the defendant Plato is brought to court with a bag over his head in a wheelchair, and the police now not only detain activists on their way to a protest, but even beat them in order to intimidate them,” he said.

On February 27, it was learned the activist of the opposition party “Our Home is Moldova,” Pavel Grigorchuk, was beaten at his door, then “delivered to the police precinct of Riscani sector,” where he was subjected to abuse and violence, allegedly for being too interested in the case of imprisoned businessman Vyacheslav Plato. This was announced by the leader of the party, former deputy Grigory Petrenko.

Subsequently, the press secretary of the Chisinau Police Department, Adrian Zhovmir, said that Grigorchuk was allegedly discovered by the police already beaten.

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Translated by Greg Butterfield