Refugees from Transnistria are saying that next week they will start serious action of protest because the Moldovan authorities would not let them privatize the dwellings given to them in two multistory apartment houses – one in 11/3 Ginta Latina Street and the other in 21/5 Nicolae Milescu Spataru Street in Chisinau.

 

Anatol Bizgu, Chairman of the Movement of Refugees from Transnistria, stated at a news conference at Infotag today that the Moldovan authorities are demanding from the dwellers (160 families) to pay 450 thousand lei (US$31 thousand) each for 3-room apartments and 320 thousand lei (US$22 thousand) for 2-room apartments.

 

“After we had spent 3 months for drawing up all documents necessary for privatization of the housing built specially for us, they are now offering us to buy them. They are leaving us no other way but to protest against such barefaced lawlessness”, stated Bizgu.

 

In his words, officials in the Chisinau Primaria [city government] are saying that the decision of the Chisinau Municipal Council [city legislature] dated June 2, 2014 on the possibility to privatize the said apartments would not start working because it was challenged with the Sectorul Centru Court of Chisinau by the State Chancellery Office.

 

“The Government has started litigation against the Chisinau Municipal Council, challenging its decision as illegitimate”, said Bizgu. In his words, the refugees will be protesting “against those who seek to receive new mandate to remain in power for 4 more years. They are just mocking at citizens. We shall show their true face”, promised the human right activist.

 

Tamara Tintulescu, the widow of a 1992 Transnistrian armed conflict veteran killed in action, stated that she had lost her home and all property in Transnistria, had lost her husband at that war, “and now the authorities are treating me like this!”

 

“For 10 long years we have been waging struggle for this apartment of ours, and now the authorities are offering me to sign papers on the dwelling privatization according to which I will enter into the ownership rights only in 20 years. What do I need such a contract for if I am 70 now? If to proceed from the agreement terms, by that time I, as a tenant, may well die, so my children will be thrown out into the street”, the woman said indignantly.

 

The news conference participants spoke out their opinion concerning the Housing Law, approved by the Moldovan Parliament on July 18, 2014. According to it, non-privatized apartments are included into the category of “social housing” and may not become private property subsequently.

 

“If we fail to privatize our apartments in 6 months upon the publication of this law (which is extremely problematic now), then our current homes will become ‘social dwellings’ in the public ownership. We cannot perceive all this otherwise by an overt revenge on us. Refugees from Transnistria have never been silent. We were always active in defending our rights. That’s why they are revenging this on us”, stated Anatol Bizgu.

 

The refugees voiced indignation over the fact that in some instances the Chisinau Primaria easily agrees to repay 50 thousand euros to meet court claims on housing, whereas refugees from Transnistria are demanded to pay for the apartment given to them by the law.