UEFA criticised for allowing match in Transnistria
The government of Moldova has condemned the banning of journalist Elena Covalenco from entering the breakaway Transnistria region, and said it will take "legitimate measures" in response.
Covalenco, a photojournalist for the Moldovan news agency Infotag, was declared "undesirable" by the Transnistrian authorities on September 21. She had planned to attend a football match between Sheriff Tiraspol and AS Roma.
The Moldovan government said Covalenco's ban was a "regrettable action" that showed that the Transnistrian authorities were not committed to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
"The practices of the Transnistrian authorities against the media and civil society, the constant restrictions on freedom of movement, and other brutal limitations of human rights in the region cannot be tolerated any longer," the government said in a statement.
The government also criticised UEFA for allowing the Sheriff Tiraspol-AS Roma match to be played in Transnistria. UEFA had previously banned matches from being played in the region due to security concerns.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
