Case of activist Ghenadie Ciorba reaches ECHR: allegations of unlawful detention and persecution for criticizing Tiraspol

The case of civic activist Ghenadie Ciorba, one of the few local leaders in the Transnistrian region who publicly criticizes the de facto administration in Tiraspol, has reached the European Court of Human Rights. His interests are represented before the ECHR by lawyers from the Promo-LEX Association.

The Court has requested explanations from the Governments of the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation regarding jurisdiction over the Transnistrian region and possible violations of several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. Among the issues under examination are inhuman treatment, the lawfulness of detention, freedom of expression, and obstruction of access to the Court.

According to Promo-LEX, Ghenadie Ciorba is the president of the NGO “Transnistria – our common home” and was detained for 13 months, between July 2020 and August 2021.

His detention began after he took part in a spontaneous protest organized on the bridge between Râbnița and Rezina, where citizens contested the movement restrictions imposed by the de facto structures in the Transnistrian region during the pandemic. For participating in the demonstration, the activist was sentenced to nine days of administrative arrest. Subsequently, immediately after his release, he was detained again and accused of “inciting extremism via the Internet” and “insulting the president of the so‑called rmn.” The charges were based on Facebook posts in which he criticized the Tiraspol administration and the way it was managing the socio‑economic situation in the region.

In July 2021, the so‑called “Râbnița Court” sentenced him to three years and three months of imprisonment. The sentence was later conditionally suspended, and Ghenadie Ciorba was released in August 2021. Promo-LEX states that the judgment and the case materials were classified as “state secret,” and the applicant was denied access to copies of the documents, which made it more difficult to lodge an application with the ECHR.

“During his detention, Ghenadie Ciorba was held in the temporary detention facility of the militia in Râbnița and in Prison no. 1 in Hlinaia, Grigoriopol. The applicant describes cold and damp cells, lack of ventilation, poor‑quality food, and the presence of parasites. During this period, he lost more than 15 kilograms,” Promo-LEX said.

Vadim Vieru, a lawyer with Promo-LEX Association, believes that this case reflects the systematic violations of fundamental rights in the Transnistrian region and the use of “extremism” charges to intimidate critical voices.

During his detention, the activist was held in the temporary detention facility in Râbnița and in the penitentiary in Hlinaia, Grigoriopol, where, according to the complaint filed with the ECHR, he was subjected to inhuman conditions: cold and damp cells, lack of ventilation, poor‑quality food, and infestation with parasites. During his detention, he allegedly lost more than 15 kilograms.