Republic of Moldova
Head of state: Nicolae Timofti
Head of government: Gheorghe Brega (replaced Valeriu Streleț in October as acting Prime Minister, who replaced Chiril Gaburici in July, who replaced Iurie Leancă in February)

Corruption scandals and economic deterioration prompted a series of anti-government protests. The number of registered complaints of torture and other ill-treatment slightly decreased, while impunity for torture persisted. The Chişinău Pride march took place under police protection but hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity were not effectively addressed.

BACKGROUND

In May, it transpired that US$1 billion had disappeared from three Moldovan banks through questionable transactions in November 2014. On 6 September, tens of thousands of people attended a peaceful demonstration in the capital, Chişinău, demanding the resignation of the President and the government, and hundreds of protesters camped in tents in the city centre. Eight activists from a left-wing party tried to forcibly enter the Prosecutor General's Office and were detained; their leader, Grigore Petrenco, and six others were repeatedly remanded and accused of trying to incite mass disturbances. A handful of protesters were still camping in central Chişinău at the end of the year.

Political and media revelations led to several high-profile resignations, including of three successive Prime Ministers in the course of the year.

Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova and former Prime Minister Vladimir Filat was stripped of his parliamentary immunity by an unexpected vote in Parliament on 15 October, and remanded as a suspect in a corruption case.

TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT

Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees by the police persisted, in spite of ongoing reform of the Ministry of Interior. The Prosecutor General's Office registered 319 complaints during the first half of the year, a negligible reduction from the same period in 2014. Impunity remained a concern, with criminal investigations initiated in 53 cases, and only six reported convictions resulting in imprisonment for the perpetrators.

The persistent issue of inhuman and degrading conditions in pre-trial detention gained new prominence in connection with public awareness of the detention of Vladimir Filat and of members of the "Grigore Petrenco group".

On 30 June, the Supreme Court of Justice reviewed the four-year sentence of former Minister of Interior Gheorghe Papuc, who had been convicted of negligence during events on 7 April 2009 that had resulted in the death of Valeriu Boboc and dozens of injured street protesters. The Court issued him with a fine of MDL20,000 (US$1,000) instead and acquitted Vladimir Botnari, former police commissioner of Chişinău, who had previously been given a two-year conditional sentence.

In March the Chişinău Court of Appeal found a former police officer guilty of "abuse of power and intentional infliction of serious bodily or health injury" in connection with the death of Valeriu Boboc, and sentenced him to 10 years' imprisonment. The officer had fled Moldova and was sentenced in his absence.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

Television viewers across the country complained of unexplained broadcast interruptions by Jurnal TV in early September, prompting speculation that the disruption had been caused by national telecommunications operator Moldtelecom to limit the coverage of the 6 September mass protest in Chişinău.

Some cable television providers reportedly took Jurnal TV off air at the same time, citing technical issues.

RIGHTS OF LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND INTERSEX PEOPLE

An LGBTI march took place on 17 May in Chişinău, under police protection. Counter-demonstrators, including Orthodox Christian activists, attempted to disrupt the event and pelted eggs and firecrackers at the participants. Five attackers were arrested by the police but it is unknown whether they were charged with any offence.

DISCRIMINATION

Hate crimes, which are not a distinct crime under the Criminal Code, remained under-reported and poorly investigated, instead being qualified as hooliganism or robbery.

LGBTI organization GenderDoc-M registered at least four instances of hate crimes and 19 hate-motivated incidents. In September, the Supreme Court of Justice overturned the decision of the lower court and acquitted Bishop Marchel of the Moldovan Orthodox Church of hate speech, incitement to discrimination and spreading false information. The Bishop had called for LGBTI individuals to be barred from working in educational, catering and medical institutions because, he claimed, "92% of them have HIV".

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