back

Public appeal to the Audiovisual Council: We request the public authority to honor in good faith its obligation to ensure the public interest in the audiovisual field

06 July 2021

In the context of the defective administrative practices of the Audiovisual Council, created during the exercise of its functional duties during the electoral period for the anticipated parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021, the Free and Fair Elections Civic Coalition, the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and non-governmental media organizations , signatories of this call: Underlines the primary role of the Broadcasting Council (CA) in promoting and protecting the public interest to ensure correct and objective information of the population, a superior interest in relation to political, economic, commercial, ideological or other interests; I remind you that, by virtue of the legal provisions, CA represents the guarantor of the public interest in the audiovisual field; Notes that the current legislation provides the CA public authority with extensive legal mechanisms in order to exercise the powers of supervision and control over the observance of the law by audiovisual media service providers; Signals the inadmissibility of tolerating the conduct of providers who flagrantly defy the provisions of the Audiovisual Media Services Code, those of the Regulation on audiovisual media content, of the Electoral Code, as well as the provisions of the Regulation regarding the coverage of the electoral campaign in the anticipated parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021; It underlines the prejudicial nature of the acts of some audiovisual media service providers and mentions that they seriously violate the constitutional right to correct information, guaranteed by law to all citizens; He considers as regrettable the practice of unjustified invocation by the CA of freedom of expression as a pretext for sheltering some providers of sanctions. Freedom of speech, as a human value, has limits precisely to remain a value; Expresses its deep regret in connection with the CA's arbitrary refusals to monitor the conduct of suppliers during the entire electoral period and the resistance shown in examining the petitions of citizens and members of civil society that signaled serious violations; Expresses bewilderment in relation to the unjustified and inexplicable tolerance of the authority in relation to the suppliers who reflected the electoral campaign in the early parliamentary elections, clearly and definitely defying the provisions of the legislation in force; Requests the Audiovisual Council that, by virtue of the attributions provided by law: To exercise its supervisory and control attributions with maximum diligence and good faith; Order the monitoring of the conduct of audiovisual media service providers during the entire electoral period; To react promptly and effectively to cases where derogations from the provisions of the audiovisual media legislation are certified; Not to admit disregarding the efforts of its own monitoring department by neglecting the serious violations committed by some suppliers, reflected in the results of its own monitoring reports; To prioritize the public interest in ensuring correct and objective information of the population and to remedy the harmful administrative practice created during the electoral period for the early parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021. Members of the Free and Fair Elections Civic Coalition: Association for Participatory Democracy "ADEPT" CONTACT Center Promo-LEX Association National Youth Council of Moldova (CNTM) National Center for Studies and Information on Women's Issues "Partnership for Development" Legal Resources Center of Moldova (CRJM) Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) Regional Development Agency "HABITAT", Rezina News Agency "DECA-Press" AO "Pro-Tineret", s. Borogani, Leova AO "Vatra Satului", or. Cahul AO "My Generation", Chisinau AO "Tezaurul", Cahul AO "Destiny", Soroca AO "Tinerele Femei Cernoleuca", Dondușeni AO "Ecology and Public Health", Soroca AO "Народное Согласие", Ciadîr-Lunga AO "Keystone Human Services International Moldova Association", Chişinău "ECOU - XXI" Association, Taraclia Regional Association of mothers with many children and women-entrepreneurs from Gagauzia "VESTA" Alliance of Community Centers for Access to Information and Training from Moldova, (INFONET Alliance) Center for International Communication and Human Rights (CCIDO), Ialoveni Regional Development Center "Stability", Comrat Youth Center "Piligrim-Demo" from Gagauzia, Comrat Center for Policies and Structural Reforms from the Republic of Moldova (CPR), Chisinau IDIS "Viitorul", Chisinau Institute for Democracy, Comrat Institute for Human Rights (IDOM), Chisinau Development Initiatives Laboratory (LID Moldova), Chisinau RADIOVISION Association, Chisinau Association for Combating Information Isolation ECOU, Cahul Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Policies (CAPE) Members of the National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum: Experts for Security and Global Affairs Moldova Association Environmental Journalists and Ecological Tourism Association National Youth Center of Moldova (CNTM) CONTACT-Bălți Regional Center National Confederation of Trade Unions of the Republic of Moldova (CNSM) Expert Group IDIS Viitorul European Institute of Political Studies of Moldova (IESPM) Institute of Public Policies (IPP) Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) IM Swedish Development Partner LDA -Moldova Transparency International-Moldova (TI-Moldova) Non-governmental media organizations: "Media Guard" Association Environmental Journalists and Ecological Tourism Association Electronic Press Association Independent Press Association "Access-Info" Center Center for Journalistic Investigations Center for Independent Journalism Committee for IT freedom of RISE Moldova Press