Oxana Kihayal

Affiliated media: Grt.md , Editor

Incident date: January 19, 2024

Attack type:

• Illegal impediments to journalistic activity, denial of access to information

Who attacked: Non-authorities

Source: IPN News Agency

Location: Moldova, Comrat

Additional information:

Nongovernmental media organizations are deeply concerned about signs of censorship at the regional public broadcaster Gagauziya Radio Televizionu (GRT). In a statement, they strongly condemned any attempt at illegal interference in the editorial activity of media institutions and demanded an investigation. The statement refers to video recordings from an unannounced meeting of the GRT supervisory board, recently published by activist Olga Parzany and media outlets from the Gagauz autonomy, which seemed to indicate censorship at GRT. The footage shows the journalist Oxana Kihayal, former editor of the GRT website, complaining to the board about executive director Vasili Dermenji. He allegedly asked her, without giving a reason, to take down news items where experts critically commented on political promises about cheap gas. Kihayal’s complaint was heard at an unannounced meeting on January 19, as the executive director refused to provide explanations.