Moldova: Left Party calls for broad amnesty for prisoners

European Left Party statement on the need for a broad amnesty for prisoners

The European Left Party of Moldova calls on the country’s authorities to conduct a broad amnesty for all prisoners convicted of non-violent charges.

At this alarming and dangerous time for public health, when the country is engulfed in an epidemic, an amnesty must be declared!

In view of the deteriorating situation and in connection with the spread of a new type of coronavirus, we are compelled to state that prisons in the Republic of Moldova do not meet sanitary standards that can withstand the spread of the virus.

The prisons are overcrowded, and all possible norms and recommendations, including those of international bodies, are violated.

In these conditions, there is a real threat to the lives of many prisoners.

Members of the European Left Party were political prisoners and know first-hand the terrible conditions in Moldovan jails. Pictured here, a protest to free the Petrenko Group in Chisinau, January 24, 2016. Photo by Alina Rutich

We also call on the Public Prosecutor’s office and the courts to begin procedures for reviewing the preventive measure of those under investigation in pre-trial detention centers for non-violent crimes with the aim of mitigating them for house arrest.