CHISINAU, May 2. /TASS/. The Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova has accused the authorities of threatening citizens who want to wear St. George's ribbons at the Victory Day celebrations.

"Scandalous statements and threats by the Moldovan leadership and members of parliament from the Party of Action and Solidarity Party to the citizens of the country on the eve of the Victory Day celebrations have increased. In particular, high-ranking officials threaten those who will wear St. George's ribbons with fines and other reprisals," the Party of Socialists said in a statement released on Tuesday.

"The St. George’s Ribbon is one of the symbols of the Great Victory, its wearing in memory of the victorious soldiers is an inalienable right of the Moldovan citizens. The Party of Socialists intends to defend this right by all legal means," it said.

On the previous day, Igor Grosu, the speaker of the Moldovan parliament and the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity, said that the police will fine those wearing the St. George's ribbon, although the Constitutional Court of Moldova passed a resolution on the right of citizens to self-expression. He said that the country's pro-European authorities cannot allow the display of such symbols.

The decision to ban the St. George's ribbon in Moldova was approved early last year by the PAS legislators. Fines from 4,500 leis to 9,000 leis ($250 to $500) for individuals wearing, displaying and distributing this symbol were introduced. In April this year, Moldova's Constitutional Court ruled that the ban on wearing the St. George's ribbon was legal, but that punishment for its use could be applied only if law-enforcement agencies could prove that its use was propaganda of war and aggression.