2012 Moldova security zone incident

The 2012 Moldova security zone incident happened in the Transnistrian security zone maintained by the Joint Control Commission on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. On 1 January, a Moldovan civilian drove through a checkpoint in the zone and was fatally wounded by a Russian soldier. The civilian, Vadim Pisari, died a few hours later at a Chișinău hospital. His death raised tension between Russia and Moldova and revived a decades-old debate over the presence of Russian forces in Moldova.Ellen Barry https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/world/europe/shooting-raises-tensions-between-moldova-and-russia.html Shooting at Checkpoint Raises Tensions in a Disputed Region Claimed by Moldova The New York Times 3 January 2012 live https://web.archive.org/web/20120104091047/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/world/europe/shooting-raises-tensions-between-moldova-and-russia.html 4 January 2012 The incident caused demonstrations in Moldova, in which the protesters demanded free passage through the security zone and the withdrawal of Russian troops.http://www.rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=44273&pg=1&im=main Tension rises in Transdnestria Rustavi2.com 4 January 2012 4 January 2013April 2016 On 25 January 2012, a group of European parliamentaries issued a call to the participants of the 5+2 format negotiations to replace the current Russian military contingent with an international civil peacekeeping mission.http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc12/EDOC12851.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120130132304/http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=%2FDocuments%2FWorkingDocs%2FDoc12%2FEDOC12851.htm 30 January 2012 A call for the international civil peacekeeping mission in the Transnistrian secessionist region. Written Declaration No 506 Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe (PACE) 25 January 2012 4 January 2013 A similar case occurred on 27 January 1995, when another civilian, Constantin Andreev, was fatally wounded by a Russian soldier in the security zone, between Dubăsari and Rîbnița.http://www.timpul.md/articol/pacificatorii-l-au-impuscat-si-pe-constantin-andreev-30317.html "Pacificatorii" l-au împuşcat şi pe Constantin Andreev "Peacekeepers" also shot Constantine Andreev ro Timpul.md 15 January 2012 3 April 2016 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113232151/https://www.timpul.md/articol/pacificatorii-l-au-impuscat-si-pe-constantin-andreev-30317.html live The incident The incident occurred at the 9th peacekeeping checkpoint on a bridge across the Dniester River, between the Transnistrian village of Pârâta and the Moldovan town of Vadul lui Vodă, early in the morning of 1 January 2012. According to reports, civilians Vadim Pisari and Constantin Bologan from the village of Pîrîta on the eastern bank of the Dniester drove a car to the neighbouring town of Vadul lui Vodă. On their way to the town, they passed a bridge with a check point manned by a Russian military contingent. The car did not slow down at the check point, rammed the check point's boom barrier, and broke through to the other side.http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=003-5067528-6236025&filename=003-5067528-6236025.pdf Russian Federation responsible for the death of a Moldovan citizen at peacekeeping checkpoint European Court of Human Rights (HUDOC) 21 April 2015 3 April 2016 3 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160403003432/http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=003-5067528-6236025&filename=003-5067528-6236025.pdf livehttp://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=003-5067528-6236025&filename=003-5067528-6236025.pdf Russian Federation responsible for the death of a Moldovan citizen at peacekeeping checkpoint. April 21, 2015 European Court of Human Rights European Court of Human Rights April 1, 2016 April 3, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160403003432/http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=003-5067528-6236025&filename=003-5067528-6236025.pdf live A short time later, Pisari and Bologan were returning to Pîrîta via the same route. When their car entered the bridge again, at 7:15 a.m. local time, the driver disobeyed repeated demands to pull over.http://pda.itar-tass.com/en/c154/316378.html Chișinău, Tiraspol agree to ease tensions over incident at peacekeepers post Pda.itar-tass.com 15 January 2012 4 January 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130602222814/http://pda.itar-tass.com/en/c154/316378.html 2 June 2013 Vyacheslav Kozhukhar, the chief of the Russian military force, fired several warning shots in the air, and, when those were ignored as well, shot at the driver's side of the man's car, severely wounding him in the back.http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/119924/ Moldova prime minister: Dniester incident must be probed jointly with Russia Kyiv Post Interfax Ukraine 2 January 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120103091425/https://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/119924/ 3 January 2012 One bullet hit the car, which continued a short distance before it stopped, the door opened and Pisari fell out, injured. Pisari was rushed to the Emergency Hospital in Chișinău, where he died soon after a surgery was performed on his spine. Investigation Moldova and Russia launched a probe into the incident. A special task force led by Russian military prosecutors was formed following an emergency meeting of the Joint Control Commission. In April 2015, in the case of Pisari v. the Republic of Moldova and Russia,https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=001-153925&filename=001-153925.pdf CASE OF PISARI v. THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA AND RUSSIA 2024-12-25 2022-06-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20220625174324/https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=001-153925&filename=001-153925.pdf live the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been the violations of the Article 2 of European Convention on Human Rights by the Russian Federation as concerned both the killing of the Pisaris' son and the ensuing investigation.http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-153925#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-153925%22%5D%7D HUDOC - European Court of Human Rights hudoc.echr.coe.int 2016-04-01 2019-01-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113080130/https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-153925#%7B%22itemid%22:%5B%22001-153925%22%5D%7D live The Court held that the Russian Federation should be held responsible for consequences arising from a Russian soldier's actions even though they had not occurred in Russia. The Court further found that the Russian soldier's decision to shoot at the passing vehicle had not been justified and identified procedural problems with the Russian investigation into the case. The association that helped the relatives of the dead to appeal for justice, announced that Russia must pay the relatives 40,580 euros in the next 3 months; however, the obligation was not fulfilled.http://www.moldova.org/en/4-years-since-vadim-pisari-died-russia-didnt-honor-its-obligations-yet/ 4 years since Vadim Pisari died. Russia didn't honor its obligations yet - Moldova.org Moldova.org en-US 2016-04-01 2019-01-13 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113003922/https://www.moldova.org/en/4-years-since-vadim-pisari-died-russia-didnt-honor-its-obligations-yet/ live Aftermath On 4 January, Vadim Pisari was buried in his native village. The funeral procession grew into a protest rally. A protest of some 250 people followed the funeral with demonstrators holding placards calling for Russia to reduce its influence in the region.http://www.rustavi2.com/news/news_text.php?id_news=44284&pg=1&im=main&ct=0&wth= Funeral held for Transdniestria-Moldova border shooting victim Rustavi2.com 4 January 2013April 2016 Among the participants at the funeral on January 4 were Dorin Chirtoacă, members of PL and PLDM.http://www.timpul.md/articol/vadim-pisari-a-fost-petrecut-pe-ultimul-drum-30038.html Vadim Pisari a fost petrecut pe ultimul drum Vadim Pisari perished on his last journey ro Timpul.md 4 January 2012 3 April 2016 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062940/https://www.timpul.md/articol/vadim-pisari-a-fost-petrecut-pe-ultimul-drum-30038.html live The Government of Moldova allocated 100,000 lei for the funeral of Pisari.http://www.timpul.md/articol/guvernul-a-alocat-100-de-mii-de-lei-pentru-funeraliile-lui-vadim-pisari-30028.html Guvernul a alocat 100 de mii de lei pentru funeraliile lui Vadim Pisari The government has allocated 100 thousand MDL towards Vadim Pisari's funeral ro Timpul.md 4 January 2012 3 April 2016 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062739/https://www.timpul.md/articol/guvernul-a-alocat-100-de-mii-de-lei-pentru-funeraliile-lui-vadim-pisari-30028.html live Reactions Moldova On January 2, protesters gathered in Pârâta demanding the removal of the checkpoint.Proteste in Transnistria dupa uciderea lui Vadim Pisari. Guvernul Moldovei cere retragerea armamentului rus ro On the same day, the prime minister of Moldova Vlad Filat condemned the incident, ordered compensation payments to be made to the family of the victim, and called for a joint Moldovan-Russian investigation. On January 3, around 100 protesters gathered near the point where Pisari was wounded, demanding that the checkpoint and others like it be removed. The protest disrupted the check point for two hours. On January 3, protesters signed a letter addressed to the Moldovan Government, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the international community, asking for immediate withdrawal of all fifteen peacekeeping points in the Dniester River area. "Nothing justifies the death of a person," Moldova Prime Minister Vlad Filat said on January 3. "It is not the first time that peacekeepers have committed such crimes," the president of Promo-Lex Ion Manole said.Alina Radu http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2012/01/04/feature-03 Ire over Russian peacekeepers after youth's death Setimes.com 4 January 2012 4 January 2013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120104205254/http://setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2012/01/04/feature-03 4 January 2012 On January 5, the prime minister Vlad Filat and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Eugen Carpov laid flowers at the grave of Pisari.http://www.gov.md/libview.php?l=en&id=4643&idc=436 https://archive.today/20120805093125/http://www.gov.md/libview.php?l=en&id=4643&idc=436 dead 5 August 2012 Prime Minister Vlad Filat paid a working visit to the eastern Dubasari district today Gov.md 5 January 2012 4 January 2013Filat a depus flori la mormântul lui Vadim Pisari ro On 9 January, participants of a rally in front of the Russian Embassy in Chișinău demanded withdrawal of Russian troops.https://archive.today/20120801102436/http://www.eurotv.md/stire-noi-proteste-in-legatura-cu-moartea-lui-vadim-pisari Noi proteste legate de moartea lui Vadim Pisari ro In the following weeks, several Moldovan NGOs organized protests in front of Russian embassies in BucharestProtest în fata Ambasadei Rusiei la Bucuresti! https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062925/https://www.timpul.md/articol/protest-in-fata-ambasadei-rusiei-la-bucuresti-30115.html 2019-01-13 roPROTESTE in fata ambasadei Rusiei din Bucuresti impotriva asasinarii unui tanar basarabean de catre "pacificatorii" stationati in regiune https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062925/https://www.timpul.md/articol/protest-in-fata-ambasadei-rusiei-la-bucuresti-30115.html 2019-01-13 ro and Chișinău,Ziarul de Gardă, Platforma Civică Acţiunea 2012: omorul lui Vadim Pisari trebuie sancţionat https://web.archive.org/web/20160504120232/http://www.zdg.md/stiri/platforma-civica-actiunea-2012-omorul-lui-vadim-pisari-trebuie-sanctionat 2016-05-04 ro demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region. On January 11, over 500 protested in the Moldovan town of Vadul lui Vodă demanding withdrawal of Russian troops.Oamenii de la Nistru nu cedează (VIDEO) https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062640/https://www.moldova.org/oamenii-de-la-nistru-nu-cedeaza-video-227697-rom/ 2019-01-13 ro Russia On January 2, a statement released by the Russia's ambassador to Moldova, Valery Kuzmin, claimed that Vadim Pisari bore much responsibility for the shooting, citing "repeated crude violations on the part of the victim, who was in a state of alcoholic intoxication and driving a car that did not belong to him." The Russian Embassy in Chișinău also cited "damage to the gate, the danger of running over one of the peacekeepers, speeding through barriers, failure to obey the command to pull over even after warning shots in the air." These statements were rejected by the Ministry of Interior of Moldova.http://www.easternpartnership.org/daily-news/2012-01-04/moscow-comments-transnistria-shooting-incident Moscow comments on Transnistria shooting incident easternpartnership.org 4 January 2012April 2016 On January 3, a press release of the Moldova's Foreign Ministry states that is not the first time that Ambassador Valery Kuzmin had made inappropriate statements. Foreign Minister Iurie Leancă described the comments by Valery Kuzmin in connection with the murder of Pisari as "unfortunate" and "sarcastic ".http://www.radiochisinau.md/iurie_leanca_comentariile_lui_valeri_kuzmin_sunt_regretabile-1247 Iurie Leancă: Comentariile lui Valeri Kuzmin sunt regretabile Iurie Leancă: Valeri Kuzmin's comments are regrettable ro radiochisinau.md dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130525182313/http://www.radiochisinau.md/iurie_leanca_comentariile_lui_valeri_kuzmin_sunt_regretabile-1247 25 May 2013 On January 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing regret over the death of Vadim Pisari and pledging to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.http://archive.mid.ru//brp_4.nsf/newsline/B02DBEE27E98CEB14425797B00281E36 ru:Сообщение для СМИ: Об инциденте в зоне безопасности приднестровского конфликта Press release: About the incident in the security zone of the Transnistrian conflict ru Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation 4 January 2012 3 April 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160414054137/http://archive.mid.ru//brp_4.nsf/newsline/B02DBEE27E98CEB14425797B00281E36 14 April 2016 dead dmy-all International On January 4, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Teodor Baconschi expressed his condolences to the family of Pisari.http://www.vremeanoua.ro/teodor-baconschi-despre-cazul-vadim-pisari-este-nevoie-de-o-ancheta-profesionista-si-completa Teodor Baconschi despre cazul Vadim Pisari: Este nevoie de o anchetă profesionistă şi completă Teodor Baconschi on the case of Vadim Pisari: It needs a professional and comprehensive investigation ro vremeanoua.ro 5 January 2012 3 April 2016 12 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190112195154/http://www.vremeanoua.ro/teodor-baconschi-despre-cazul-vadim-pisari-este-nevoie-de-o-ancheta-profesionista-si-completa live On 4 January, in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow has conveyed condolences to Moldova on the death of Vadim Pisar.November 2020 The United States and Germany issued statements urging Russia and Moldova to avoid a rise in tension in the security zone and to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident. They also expressed their readiness to participate in talks to demilitarize the area and convert the current Russian occupying force to an OSCE-led peacekeeping one.http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/russia-usa-germany-push-for-demilitarized-dnester-security-zone-126.cfm Berlin, Washington Call For Demilitarization of Dniester Security Zone Interfax Chișinău 6 January 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120211072231/http://cdi.org/russia/johnson/russia-usa-germany-push-for-demilitarized-dnester-security-zone-126.cfm 11 February 2012 On 8 January, immigrants from Moldova protested in front of the Russian Embassy in Paris, demanding withdrawal of Russian troops.http://www.timpul.md/articol/basarabenii-din-paris-indignai-de-omorul-tanarului-din-stanga-nistrului--30116.html Basarabenii din Paris indignați de omorul tânărului din stânga Nistrului Basarabians in Paris outraged by the murder of young man in Transdniestria ro Timpul.md 9 January 2012 3 April 2016 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062821/https://www.timpul.md/articol/basarabenii-din-paris-indignai-de-omorul-tanarului-din-stanga-nistrului--30116.html livehttp://www.ziuaonline.ro/societate/miting-paris-impotriva-stationarii-armatei-ruse-transnistria.html Miting la Paris impotriva stationarii armatei ruse in Transnistria Rally in Paris against stationing Russian troops in Transnistria ro Ziuaonline.ro 4 January 2013 https://archive.today/20130416121505/http://www.ziuaonline.ro/societate/miting-paris-impotriva-stationarii-armatei-ruse-transnistria.html 2013-04-16 dead On 25 January, 31 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe signed a declaration calling for an international civil peacekeeping mission to replace the current one in Transnistria. The declaration also noted the protests in local villages and stated that "the preliminary investigation proves the Russian peacekeeper had no reason to open fire on the vehicle". On 26 January 2012, Moldovan PACE representative Ana Guțu spoke about the death of Pisari before the Assembly.http://www.timpul.md/articol/deputatul-ana-gutu-a-vorbit-la-apce-despre-tanarul-impuscat-la-parata-30760.html Deputatul Ana Guțu a vorbit la APCE despre tânărul împuşcat la Pârâta MP Ana Guțu spoke to PACE concerning the young man shot in Pârâta ro Timpul.md 26 January 2012 3 April 2016 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062845/https://www.timpul.md/articol/deputatul-ana-gutu-a-vorbit-la-apce-despre-tanarul-impuscat-la-parata-30760.html livehttp://www.moldova.org/deputata-ana-gutu-la-apce-despre-relatiile-moldo-ruse-228006-rom/ Deputata Ana Guțu la APCE despre relaţiile moldo-ruse MP Ana Guțu addresses PACE regarding Moldovan-Russian relations ro Politicom.moldova.org 26 January 2012 3 April 2016 13 January 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062840/https://www.moldova.org/deputata-ana-gutu-la-apce-despre-relatiile-moldo-ruse-228006-rom/ live See also Human rights in Transnistria Transnistria conflict Murder of Tamaz Ginturi References 2 External links The New York Times, Shooting at Checkpoint Raises Tensions in a Disputed Region Claimed by Moldova Kyiv Post, Foreign Ministry: Kyiv hopes for fair probe into death of Moldovan citizen in Transdniestrian 'security zone' Ire over Russian peacekeepers after youth's death New protests call for a Transnistrian checkpoint removal https://archive.today/20120805093125/http://www.gov.md/libview.php?l=en&id=4643&idc=436 Prime Minister Vlad Filat paid a working visit to the eastern Dubasari district today el Moldovan NGOs try to block peacekeepers checkpoint at which local resident died ro Pacificarea rusă sub semnul întrebării Category:Transnistria conflict security zone incident Category:History of Transnistria since 1991 Category:Law enforcement in Moldova Category:Politics of Transnistria Category:2012 in Transnistria