In Kishinev, supporters of the banned Moldovan opposition party "Shor" staged a protest in the center of the city, symbolizing the "funeral of democracy" in the country, RIA News reports.
On June, 20 the protesters gathered near the Constitutional Court, which had decided to prohibit the party, bringing flowers, wreaths, and coffins as symbols of the "death of democracy." Chanting slogans such as "Down with Maia Sandu" and "Down with dictatorship," they held signs stating, "Farewell, democracy, you are no longer with us," "Maia destroyed the rights and freedoms of Moldovan citizens," and "Democracy is dead."
Later, they marched from the Constitutional Court to the Parliament building accompanied by a brass band.
On June 19, the Constitutional Court of Moldova granted the government's request to declare the opposition party "Shor" unconstitutional. As a result, the party is considered dissolved, and the Ministry of Justice has been tasked with forming a commission to liquidate and exclude it from the state register. Party representatives will remain in parliament but as independents without the right to join other political forces.
The leader of the party, Ilan Shor, was sentenced by the Kishinev Court of Appeal on April 13 to 15 years in prison for embezzling $1 bn from the country's banks, and his assets will be confiscated. Shor denounced the judges' decision as "lawless and limitless" and stated that he would not submit to it.
On May 1, Marina Tauber, the vice-chairperson of the "Shor" party and a parliamentary deputy, was once again detained and placed in pre-trial detention at the National Anti-Corruption Center. On May 2, a district court in the Moldovan capital ruled to place her under house arrest for 20 days. The opposition in Moldova has been staging protests for almost a year, with the largest rallies being held in support of the "Shor" party.
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