[child-rights] Moldova: Transdniestrian authorities bar OSCE from entering region, turn back food for orphans

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CHISINAU, 18 August 2004 - Authorities in Moldova's Transdniestria region
have banned staff of the OSCE Mission in Moldova from entering the region
and turned away a delivery of food for orphans attending one of the
schools which is at the centre of a crisis over use of the Latin script.

The Mission was informed that no OSCE staff will be permitted to enter the
region pending an investigation of an alleged incident on Tuesday in which
the Transdniestrian authorities claim a militiaman was injured by an OSCE
vehicle.

"The denial of access to the region stands in clear contravention of the
agreement signed by the Transdniestrian leadership in 1993 which ensures
the Mission uninhibited access. This is a unilateral revocation of that
agreement," said Acting Head of Mission, Neil Brennan.

"The OSCE Mission was the last resort for providing food and water to the
orphans in the Benderi school and was the only means for informing the
outside world of the tense situation inside the region."

"The incident at the Internat orphanage was the result of an uncooperative
attitude of the Transdniestrian militia who refused to honour agreements
in place. This meant the children at the orphanage were put at risk of
injury."

"Any claim of injury by a Transdniestrian militia member is a pure
fabrication," said Brennan. "The Mission was helping to ensure
humanitarian assistance to the orphans, as it has done so regularly with
no problems for the last few weeks."

In the past weeks authorities in the region have taken measures to
forcibly close schools which teach in the Latin script. Authorities seized
two schools, in one case by using chainsaws to cut down doors inside the
building to remove parents and teachers locked inside. Seven parents were
arrested and sentenced to short prison terms. Other threats of the use of
force have been made against schoolchildren, parents and school staff.

Local militia in Benderi seized the orphanage on July 26 but the children
forced their way back in and have since maintained a vigil in the
building, during which food and water supplies have been delivered by the
OSCE Mission.

On 17 August at approximately 18:00, two OSCE Mission Members in a Mission
vehicle were denied entry to the Transdniestrian region at the main
Benderi road checkpoint. The evening meal which they were ferrying to the
school was transferred to a vehicle of Moldovan peacekeepers. This too was
initially refused admission but it later managed to deliver the food to
within several hundred metres of the school.

"This is inhuman," Brennan said. "Children should never be exposed to
something like this and should certainly never have to argue with militia
to be given access to food and water. This could all be ended very easily
and quickly if the militia and police were to withdraw and the most basic
human rights principles were followed."

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