Moldova
25.07.03
Urgent Interventions
Moldova: a 14 year old child subject to torture
Case MDA 250703.CC
CHILD CONCERN
Torture and other forms of ill treatment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Republic of Moldova.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source that Matei Guţu, a 14 year old child, was severely beaten by two police officers, Mr. Darie and Mr. Bivol, in the village of Cojuşna, in the Republic of Moldova.
According to the information received, on 16 July 2003, Mrs. Guţu left her children, Ion (17 years old) and Matei (14 years old), alone at home. Ten minutes later, the policeman Mr.Darie, together with one of his relatives, came to the home and called Matei, telling him that he wanted to ask him some questions. When the child arrived, the two men seized him, pushed him into a car and took him to the Cojuşna Police Station without informing his older brother about what was happening.
At the Police Station, Matei was reportedly interrogated in the absence of his parents. He was asked where he had been during the night of 19 June 2003. Mr. Darie and two other policemen accused him of having stolen money and valuables from a house in the village. They asked Matei to sign a confession and threatened to kill him if he did not want to. According to this confession, Matei would have accepted to pay 6000 lei to the victim of the theft. The boy denied the accusations and refused to sign any paper given to him
Thus, according to the information received, Mr. Darie took him to a room with no windows and beat him with a rubber stick over his head and body, demanding that Matei sign the confession. The child urinated because of the fear and pain, but the policeman continued to beat him and threatened to detain him in a cell with adult criminals. Then Mr. Darie locked Matei in the room for a while, but soon came back and continued torturing him.
At 6 pm, Matei was finally released from the Cojuşna Police Station. He came back home in a very bad state of health. He allegedly suffered from headaches and giddiness, and he even vomited the water he drank. His mother took him to the "Ignatenco" Children’s Hospital in Chisinau, where doctors were alarmed by the state of his health and decided to hospitalise him immediately. On July 23th, he was still in the hospital.
Matei’s mother informed the Prosecutor’s Office of these facts, but she was answered that the policemen’ behaviour was legal and that the allegation of torture was not true.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is very concerned by this information and would like to remind, that as a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), the Republic of Moldova is obliged to undertake all appropriate measures to protect children from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (art. 4 and 37).
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova urging them to:
i. guarantee an immediate and thorough investigation into the alleged acts of torture on the afore-mentioned child, bring those responsible before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
ii. guarantee adequate reparation to the victims and also physical and psychological recovery;
iii. guarantee all human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
Addresses
· General Public Prosecutor’s Office, 26 Banulescu Bodoni str., MD 2012, Republic of Moldova
· Parliament, 105 bd. Stefan cel Mare, MD 2073, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, info@parlament.md
· Ministry of Interior, 75 bd. Stefan cel Mare, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
· Government, 1, bd. Stefan cel Mare, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
· The official e-mail address of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova may be found at: http://www.moldova.md/contacts/en.htm
· Ambassadeur, Calmâc, Adrian, Ch. du Petit-Sacconnex 28, CH-1209, Genève, Suisse, e-mail : mission.moldova@ties.itu.int, fax: +4122 733 91 04
Please also write to the embassy of the Republic of Moldova in your respective country.
Geneva, July 25th, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
CHILD CONCERN
Torture and other forms of ill treatment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in the Republic of Moldova.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source that Matei Guţu, a 14 year old child, was severely beaten by two police officers, Mr. Darie and Mr. Bivol, in the village of Cojuşna, in the Republic of Moldova.
According to the information received, on 16 July 2003, Mrs. Guţu left her children, Ion (17 years old) and Matei (14 years old), alone at home. Ten minutes later, the policeman Mr.Darie, together with one of his relatives, came to the home and called Matei, telling him that he wanted to ask him some questions. When the child arrived, the two men seized him, pushed him into a car and took him to the Cojuşna Police Station without informing his older brother about what was happening.
At the Police Station, Matei was reportedly interrogated in the absence of his parents. He was asked where he had been during the night of 19 June 2003. Mr. Darie and two other policemen accused him of having stolen money and valuables from a house in the village. They asked Matei to sign a confession and threatened to kill him if he did not want to. According to this confession, Matei would have accepted to pay 6000 lei to the victim of the theft. The boy denied the accusations and refused to sign any paper given to him
Thus, according to the information received, Mr. Darie took him to a room with no windows and beat him with a rubber stick over his head and body, demanding that Matei sign the confession. The child urinated because of the fear and pain, but the policeman continued to beat him and threatened to detain him in a cell with adult criminals. Then Mr. Darie locked Matei in the room for a while, but soon came back and continued torturing him.
At 6 pm, Matei was finally released from the Cojuşna Police Station. He came back home in a very bad state of health. He allegedly suffered from headaches and giddiness, and he even vomited the water he drank. His mother took him to the "Ignatenco" Children’s Hospital in Chisinau, where doctors were alarmed by the state of his health and decided to hospitalise him immediately. On July 23th, he was still in the hospital.
Matei’s mother informed the Prosecutor’s Office of these facts, but she was answered that the policemen’ behaviour was legal and that the allegation of torture was not true.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is very concerned by this information and would like to remind, that as a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC), the Republic of Moldova is obliged to undertake all appropriate measures to protect children from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (art. 4 and 37).
Action Requested
Please write to the authorities of the Republic of Moldova urging them to:
i. guarantee an immediate and thorough investigation into the alleged acts of torture on the afore-mentioned child, bring those responsible before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
ii. guarantee adequate reparation to the victims and also physical and psychological recovery;
iii. guarantee all human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
Addresses
· General Public Prosecutor’s Office, 26 Banulescu Bodoni str., MD 2012, Republic of Moldova
· Parliament, 105 bd. Stefan cel Mare, MD 2073, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, info@parlament.md
· Ministry of Interior, 75 bd. Stefan cel Mare, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
· Government, 1, bd. Stefan cel Mare, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
· The official e-mail address of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova may be found at: http://www.moldova.md/contacts/en.htm
· Ambassadeur, Calmâc, Adrian, Ch. du Petit-Sacconnex 28, CH-1209, Genève, Suisse, e-mail : mission.moldova@ties.itu.int, fax: +4122 733 91 04
Please also write to the embassy of the Republic of Moldova in your respective country.
Geneva, July 25th, 2003
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.