The human rights defender Lyudmyla Kozlovska, in an interview with Europa Liberă, has commented on the decision of the Moldovan Parliament to annul the 2018 Report, falsely claiming that the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) had allegedly interfered in Moldova’s internal affairs.
According to Ms Kozlovska, lobbyists from other countries tried to use the Report against her and the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) as a means to exert pressure.
Ms Kozlovska noted that 2023 marks the fifth anniversary since former leader of the Democratic Party Vladimir Plahotniuc launched a political smear campaign against her and ODF. Ms Kozlovska noted that the “pseudo-report” adopted by the Moldovan Parliament in 2018 was “misused by lobbyists of the authoritarian regimes of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan”.
Ms Kozlovska stressed that The so-called “secret” reports of the Polish secret services were created to put me on the EU lists of undesirable persons, and even have bank accounts based in Belgium closed. Plahotniuc is not in power, and his repressive tools, such as the already annulled Report and propaganda, continue to exert pressure on us. I am grateful that the independently elected Moldovan Parliament has restored justice”.
Ms Kozlovska noted that although the annulment of the Report comes belated, it is still “extremely important”.
On 2 February 2023, the Moldovan Parliament annulled the Report on the alleged interference of the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) in Moldova’s internal affairs. MPs from the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) noted that the Report had been used as a tool to exert pressure on the opposition, and MP Mihai Popsoi even deemed the report falsified.
The scandal around the Open Dialogue Foundation
The Polish Open Dialogue Foundation and its President Lyudmyla Kozlovska found themselves at the centre of a political scandal in Moldova in 2018. At the time, the former Democratic Party accused ODF and Ms Kozlovska of allegedly interfering in Moldova’s internal affairs by supporting the opposition Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) and Dignity and Truth Platform Party (DA), which formed the ACUM bloc at the time. Furthermore, they claimed that PAS and DA received funding from ODF and failed to declare it.
In a special parliamentary report which investigated the activity of Ms Kozlovska’s NGO in Moldova, it was said that she, among other things, allegedly lobbied for the adoption of documents directed against Moldova and containing criticism of the authorities. In fact, Ms Kozlovska supported the adoption of the Magnitsky Act and the inclusion of the leader of the Democratic Party Vladimir Plahotniuc on the sanctions list.
In August 2018, Ms Kozlovska has been refused entry to Belgium as a consequence of the Polish government entering her data into a Schengen Information System (SIS), demanding for Ms Kozlovska to be banned from entering the EU. However, the Polish government has yet failed to explain the reasons for placing Ms Kozlovska on the SIS.
In March 2019, the Polish Court removed Ms Kozlovska from the SIS, thus granting her permanent right of residence in Belgium again.
Source: moldova.europalibera.org
