The day and temporary placement center for orphan children “Vatra” was closed for a period, while the investigation into the death of a child at the start of this December goes on. An order to this effect was made by Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca.

Contacted by IPN, acting head of the Chisinau Children’s Rights Protection Division Rodica Terehovski said the work of the center was suspended for the period of the investigation and until all the identified shortcomings are not removed. The center is to be repaired and reorganized and will work based on new regulations. The personnel of the institution will be replaced. The center will have the status of national institution so that children from outside Chisinau could also be accommodated here.

There were six children at the center when this was closed. These were transferred to other services.

At the beginning of December, a child aged 11 was found dead in a room of the center, one day after he was placed there. Preliminary examinations showed the boy suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in the room in which he was locked. Prosecutor of Chisinau municipality Igor Popa has told IPN that a number of counts are being examined in this case, namely deprivation of freedom and leaving in dangerous conditions, intentional murder and abuse of power.