"We must punish the then former leadership of the country." The messages of the top officials in the context of the events of April 7, 2009
Prime Minister Dorin Recean told Radio Moldova that those who ordered the demonstrators who participated in the protest of April 7, 2009 to be tortured and ill-treated must be punished. The Head of the Executive emphasized that, 15 years after that anti-communist protest, people are still waiting for justice to be done.
"As the Minister of the Interior I also apologized to all citizens for the behavior of the police on April 7, 2009. But what we need to do is to punish the former leadership of the country who gave instructions to the police, prosecutors and judges, that is why, we are reforming the justice system. Citizens still expects those who committed these illegalities to be punished".
After 15 years since the tragic events of that time, now we have the chance to prove to the whole world tha t Moldovans want to live in peace and prosperity, the Parliament Speaker, Igor Grosu, wrote on Facebook.
"Today marks 15 years since thousands of people came out in the center of Chisinau to defend their vote and democracy. They did it from a sincere and natural start because they wanted to get rid of an authoritarian regime and they wanted to live in a free country and democracy. It is perhaps too long a road, but after 15 years now we have the chance to prove to ourselves, and to the whole world, that we, Moldovans, want to live in a world of peace, freedom and prosperity, which is called - the big European family".
In the evening of April 6, President Maia Sandu also sent a message in the context of the events of 2009.
" April 7 will remain in our history a symbol of resistance, courage and strength of people who want to be free. Democracy is, in fact, believing in our power to create our own destiny. And when this right is violated, let's stand up against evil"
We remind you that today marks 15 years since the protests that took place after the parliamentary elections in 2009, when the Communist Party obtained the majority of votes, in a poll suspected of fraud. On April 7, tens of thousands of people, mostly young people, some supporters of the opposition, took to the streets of Chisinau to challenge the victory of the communists. The demonstration, initially peaceful, later turned into a protest accompanied by violence, several offices of the Legislature were set on fire and the Presidency building was destroyed.
After the 2009 protests, which resulted in the death of a young man and the torture of hundreds of people, no official or top official has been prosecuted or punished for the abuses committed.
In today's context, the Presidency is hosting a photo exhibition re-enacting the events of April 7, 2009.
