Această scrisoare a fost adresată preşedintelui Voronin de la o asociaţie internaţională, avînd birouri atît în SUA, cît şi în Africa de Sud.
ONG-iştii se arată îngrijoraţi de presiunile autorităţilor asupra societăţii civile.
I write as the Secretary General of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, an international alliance of civil society with members and partners in over a hundred countries. CIVICUS supports participatory democracy and citizens’ freedom of association around the world.
We are deeply concerned that your government has initiated a number of repressive actions against non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the aftermath of the elections of 5 April 2009. In particular, we are alarmed by the following unwarranted official directives, which appear to have been issued to some NGOs in response to civil society criticism of alleged multiple irregularities in the elections.
1) Notices were issued by the Ministry of Justice dated 16 April, requesting that NGOs, within 10 days: (i) state their position with regard to the violence that occurred in public protests against election irregularities, (ii) report on the steps taken by them to prevent and stop the violence. These notices were sent to many NGOs irregardless of their actual involvement in the coordination of the demonstrations.
2) Notices were issued by the Ministry of Justice requiring NGOs to re-register, raising apprehensions about possible bureaucratic harassment of organisations critical of official actions and policies, particularly those involved in independent monitoring of the past elections.
3) Many NGOs also received subpoenas from their local tax inspectorates on 24 April advising them to have their financial records urgently examined and declare their sources of funding.
We fear that these actions may be designed to curb the independence of civil society guaranteed in the official commitments and documents of the Council of Europe, and other international agreements to which your government is a party. Notably, the Council of Europe has acknowledged that civil society plays a vital role in the
strengthening of democracy and promotion of the participatory involvement of citizens in public life. Recognising this, we urge your government to restate its commitment to democratic principles by recalling the above directives.
Civicus House 24 Pim corner Quinn Street
Newtown 2001 Johannesburg South Africa
PO Box 933 Southdale 2135 South Africa
tel +27 11 833-5959
fax +27 11 833-7997
email info@civicus.org
1420 K Street NW, Suite 900,
Washington DC, 20005, USA
tel +202 331-8518
fax +202 331-8774
I thank you for your urgent attention to our concerns. I would be pleased to speak
with you further regarding this matter at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Ingrid Srinath
Secretary General
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
E mail: ingrid.srinath@civicus.org Tel: +27 11 833 5959