Andrei Ivanțoc (born 9 March 1961) is a

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The List of states ...

n politician. He was among the four leaders (the

Ilie Ilașcu Ilie Ilașcu (born 30 July 1952) is a Moldovan-born Romanian politician, especially known for being sentenced to death by the separatist Transnistrian government for alleged involvement in two murders and for actions which have been described a ...

group, comprising also

Alexandru Leșco Alexandru Leșco (born February 21, 1955, Coșernița) is a Moldovan activist, famous for being sentenced by the separatist Transnistrian government for actions which have been described as Moldovan state-sponsored terrorism by Transnistrian gove ...

and Tudor Petrov Popa) of the

Tiraspol Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the th ...

branch of the pro-Romanian Christian-Democratic People's Party of Moldova who were accused of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

by the authorities of the breakaway

Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is an unrecognised breakaway state that is internationally recognised as a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester riv ...

(PMR).

Biography

Ivanțoc was born in Opaci,

Căușeni district Căușeni District ( ro, Raionul Căușeni, ) is a district in the central part of Moldova, with the administrative center at Căușeni. The other major city in the district is Căinari. According to the 2014 Moldovan Census, the population of th ...

, Moldova. He and his three fellow-leaders were pro-

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n unionists, fighting the PMR authorities who controlled most of Transnistria. Ivanțoc was arrested on 2 June 1992, and sentenced to 15 years of prison in a trial, which the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

considered to be unfairly conducted by the PMR authorities. On 9 December 1993, the Supreme Court of the PMR found Ivanțoc guilty of murdering a representative of the State with the aim of spreading terror, unauthorised use and theft of ammunition or explosives, and assault. He was set free on 2 June 2007. He was maltreated and beaten by the "separatist police" in front of the OSCE members at custom. In 2004 the

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

and the

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

have ruled that the PMR and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

should end his detention as well as the detention of the other inmates still held by the PMR authorities. Ivanțoc became a Romanian citizen in 2001 while in prison, and in March 2005, he was proposed by the Social Liberal Party as a candidate for the position of

President of Moldova The President of the Republic of Moldova () is the head of state of Moldova. The current president is Maia Sandu, who assumed office on 24 December 2020. Duties and functions The office of the presidency in Moldova is largely ceremonial, w ...

. On 27 February 2006, he started a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

in protest against the "abusive,

inhuman and degrading treatment Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (CIDT) is treatment of persons which is contrary to human rights or dignity, but is not classified as torture. It is forbidden by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3 of the European Convention ...

" he was receiving from the PMR authorities. On June 2, 2007 Ivanțoc was released by the PMR authorities, after pressures of the international community. After he was released he tried to reenter PMR-controlled territory without permission and was captured and beaten by the PMR security forces, then forced to leave the PMR and declared ''persona non-grata''.Incidente la eliberarea unuia dintre membrii grupului Ilascu – Realitatea TV – Externe
/ref> He is a leader of the

Democratic Forum of Romanians in Moldova The Democratic Forum of the Romanians of Moldova ( ro, Forumul Democrat al Românilor din Moldova) is a civic movement, which brings together over 120 NGOs, several leading public organizations of Moldova and a whole number of academicians, write ...

References

"Ivanţoc, în greva foamei"
''

Evenimentul Zilei ''Evenimentul Zilei'' is a formerly physical and now exclusively online newspaper in Romania. Its name means "today's even (news)". History and profile ''Evenimentul Zilei'' was founded by Ion Cristoiu, Cornel Nistorescu and Mihai Cârciog, an ...

'', 2 March 2006

Video

*
Interview with Ivanţoc after his release
*
Video showing the incidents on Andrei Ivanţoc release

External links

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091223032143/http://www.echr.coe.int/Eng/Press/2004/July/GrandChamberjudgmentIlascuandOthersvMoldovaandRussia.htm The press release of the grand chamber judgment in the case of Ilaşcu and others v. Moldova and Russia - 2004]
US Department of State - Moldova, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000Moldova wants early release of Ivanţoc and Petrov-Popa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivantoc, Andrei Romanian people of Moldovan descent Moldovan politicians 1961 births Living people People from Căușeni District Moldovan people convicted of murder Romanian people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Transnistria Ilașcu Group Recipients of the Order of the Republic (Moldova)