The public denial, justification or minimization of the famine caused in 1946-1947 by the Soviet totalitarian regime on the territory of the Republic of Moldova could be criminally punished. A bill registered in Parliament proposes to amend the Penal Code so that these acts can be sanctioned with imprisonment of up to five years, reports IPN.
The authors of the legislative initiative, a group of deputies from the Action and Solidarity Party, argue that the project aims to officially recognize the famine of 1946-1947 as a crime against humanity, committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime against the indigenous population on social and political grounds.
According to the project, the Republic of Moldova will officially condemn the Soviet totalitarian regime for deliberately causing famine, as well as any form of denial, justification, minimization or distortion of this tragedy. The authors specify that such manifestations are incompatible with constitutional values and are to be sanctioned according to the law.
The document also establishes obligations for central and local public authorities, which will have to contribute to the research and preservation of the victims’ memory, to include the subject of famine in educational programs, to support the erection of monuments and memorials, as well as to facilitate researchers’ access to archives concerning the period 1946-1947.
At the same time, information regarding famine and its consequences will be considered of major public interest, without the restrictions provided by the legislation on the protection of personal data being applied.
The authors of the project argue that, unlike other countries in the region, the Republic of Moldova does not have a framework law that regulates the legal and memorial status of the famine of 1946-1947. They maintain that the current Penal Code only penalizes the denial of the Holocaust, and that the extension of the provisions is necessary to protect the memory of the victims of the famine and deportations during the period of the communist regime.
