The “Apollo” Association of Copyright and Related Rights has called upon Moldovan journalists not to work in the mass media outlets belonging to oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc “and thus to stay away from media terrorism”.

 

Association Chairman Vasile Nastase, who is one of the leaders of the Civil Platform “Demnitate si Adevar” [DA, “Dignity and Justice”], said at a news conference in Infotag on Tuesday that on November 1, amendments to the Code of Television and Radio Broadcasting came into force. According to them, all the mass media must submit detailed information about their owners.

 

“These amendments should have been adopted yet in 2009. The society should know for whom the mass media are business and who has become a monopolist of the whole media market over one night. I mean Vlad Plahotniuc, the owner of 4 leading television channels and three radio stations”, said Nastase.

 

In his words, Apollo had known yet since 2012 which channels and radio companies were owned by Plahotniuc and by Dan Lozovan.

 

“Earlier this year, we notified the Audiovisual Coordinating Council (ACC) about the violations, but did not receive a reply. After that we applied to the court, and have been in marathon litigations since then. There are two Articles in the law, one saying that a person may possess not more than 5 media outlets, and the other – that maximum two. So, Plahotniuc has violated both articles”, said Nastase.

 

The Apollo Chairman believes that the publication in Moldova of data about media owners has become possible thank to the insistence of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, which, in its turn, was influenced by the Moldovan civil society.

 

“But we don't know until now who the owner of the ProTV Chisinau channel is”, said Nastase indignantly.

 

Infotag’s dossier: The former Moldovan parliamentarian and First Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Party, all-mighty oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc is the owner of television companies Publika TV, Prime TV, Canal 2 and Canal 3, as well as of radio Publika FM, Muz FM and Maestro FM.