Media NGOs Condemn Balti Municipality Mayor’s Office’s Attempts to Undermine Press Freedom and Demand Annulling the Regulation on “Organizing Behavior” of Media Representatives

The media NGOs vehemently condemn the defiant attempts of Balti Municipality Mayor’s Office to hinder journalists’ professional activity by establishing arbitrary and abusive rules of “organizing behavior” of the press and “ensuing safety of media representatives’ interaction with the Mayor’s Office staff.” The media NGOs demand immediate annulment of the Regulation approved in this regard.

After TV Nord published a video capturing several councilors browsing social networks during the Municipality Council meeting held in April 2024, Balti Municipality Mayor Alexandr Petkov approved the Regulation which was recently brought to the attention of the press. The document stipulates a series of obligations and restrictions which are incompatible with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, the Law on Freedom of Expression, and the Law on Transparency in the Decision-Making Process.

It includes a prohibition to publish any information regarding the local public administration (LPA) which is “provocative, (…) defames the LPA staff, and does not contain any comments or responses from the representatives of this institution.” The document also emphasizes that the reporters are supposed to stay in the “box” where the number of seats for them is limited, and are not allowed to bring any equipment for photography, video, or audio recording. (“Balti Municipality Mayor’s Office shall provide video recording from the camera which is always located in the meeting room of Balti Municipality Council. (…) The operators shall be provided access to the meeting room of Balti Municipal Council, to the place specially designated for them, located at the lower level of the room, only with a camera placed on a tripod”). According to the Regulation, journalists shall comply with the “instructions” from the Press Service and avoid using mobile phones “while taking part in public events organized by the mayor’s office.”

We condemn Balti Municipality Mayor’s Office’s attempt to assume arbitrary competences to restrict the rights of journalists covering events during the public authority’s meetings and to impose restrictions on the media outlets’ editorial policy or technical devices used for documenting journalistic materials.

We hereby address the territorial office of the State Chancellery and demand to control legality of the act issued by Balti Municipality Mayor’s Office and to directly notify the administrative court regarding its annulment.

Independent Journalism Center

Acces-Info Center

Electronic Press Association

Committee for Freedom of the Press

Independent Press Association

Association of Environmental and EcoTourism Journalists

Media-Guard Association

Center for Journalistic Investigations

RISE Moldova