GRT loses first instance lawsuit with CA regarding broadcast of Ilan Shor’s Independence Day speech

The Chișinău Court rejected as unfounded the action brought by the regional public media service provider Gagauziya Radio Televizionu (GRT) seeking the annulment of a decision of the Audiovisual Council (CA) of September 18, 2025. At that time, the authority fined GRT 30,000 lei for broadcasting false information, labeling, and incitement to discrimination, propagated by Ilan Șor on Independence Day.

The sanction came after the CA examined the monitoring report on the Independence Day celebration program, dated August 27, 2025, which was broadcast live and subsequently placed in the GRT program catalog on the YouTube video sharing platform.

According to the report of the national audiovisual authority, monitoring of the speech delivered in Russian by Ilan Shor, who was presented as “a great friend of Gagauzia and patron,” attested to the dissemination of messages of a false or misleading nature, serving the political agenda of a group of people who spread narratives of the Russian Federation in the national audiovisual space; a one-sided and biased approach to an event of national importance, such as Independence Day; the use of manipulative techniques and speech inciting discrimination.

Media Azi wrote at the time that among the false statements made by Ilan Shor, which are not supported by official data, were: “… during 30 years of independence, first of all, Moldovans in Moldova have remained practically a third”; “The standard of living of our citizens is close to poverty”; “…we achieved true independence in 1944, when we drove the fascists from our land.”

The court’s decision was handed down on Tuesday, March 10, by Judge Negurița Veaceslav and can be appealed to the Chișinău Court of Appeals within 30 days.

Media Azi previously analyzed that in 2025, GRT was targeted in several reports by public institutions and media organizations that pointed out that the regional public broadcaster violates ethical and legal principles when informing its viewers and online audience. In addition, in October 2025, the Press Council excluded GRT from the Register of signatories to the Code of Ethics, after a period of monitoring the Gagauzia TV station and finding repeated violations of ethical standards, including lack of balance and pluralism of opinions, selective presentation of facts, use of manipulative techniques, and promotion of certain political actors.