Promo-LEX organization of Moldova reports serious violations in case of a young detainee on left bank of Dniester

The Promo-LEX organization has issued a public appeal and a petition addressed to the President of Moldova, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration, requesting urgent intervention for the release of Emilian Ceban, who it claims is being illegally detained in the Transnistrian region.

According to Promo-LEX, the young man was deprived of his liberty in 2022, at the age of 18, after allegedly refusing to sign a long-term contract with paramilitary structures of the region. Subsequently, he was accused of “treason” – namely, of having transmitted “secret information” regarding the so‑called “Transnistrian army” and the Operational Group of Russian Forces to the British secret services, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Promo-LEX says that the young man was detained without access to a lawyer and without contact with his family, and that the case file was built on the basis of limited evidence, including online correspondence. The organization claims that these elements show serious infringements of human rights.

The appeal further notes that this case appears to be part of a broader pattern of detentions and pressure in the Transnistrian region, targeting young people integrated into paramilitary structures, including through military‑oriented education systems.

Promo-LEX also draws attention to the risks associated with the militarization of education in the region, noting the existence of institutions in which children and adolescents are allegedly being trained for security and power-wielding structures.

The organization calls on the Moldovan authorities to include the case on the agenda of international dialogue and discussions with external partners, as well as to request access for international bodies to assess the conditions of detention and the state of health of the young man.