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Moldovan Politician Rejects Charges He Lied About Kidnapping, Beating


Artur Resetnicov
Artur Resetnicov
CHISINAU -- A Communist Party candidate in Moldovan's weekend parliamentary elections has denied allegations that he lied about being kidnapped and beaten, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.

Artur Resetnicov, 33, Moldova's former intelligence service chief, has been hospitalized since November 22, when he was allegedly abducted, beaten, and held captive for five hours in an apartment in the capital, Chisinau.

The police have launched an investigation but have noted inconsistencies in Resetnicov's statements about the incident. They later announced that Resetnicov was refusing to cooperate with law-enforcement agencies.

Several members of Moldova's four-party ruling coalition have suggested that Resetnicov made up the incident to gain sympathy and thereby votes in this weekend's elections.

Speaking from the hospital in front of television cameras, a tearful Resetnicov said his captors simulated shooting him with a gun seven times and did "other things" that he said he could not describe because "there might be children and close relatives watching this."

Resetnicov and his wife also denied that they were not cooperating with police officials in the investigation.

Doctors at Chisinau's Emergency Hospital said Resetnicov's condition was stable and confirmed that there were signs of violence to his body, although it was not immediately possible to say what caused the marks.
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