Moldova | HCRW

Moldova regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. In 2017, ODIHR and the OSCE Mission to Moldova co-organized a workshop for police, prosecutors and civil society on understanding and improving hate crime recording and data collection, which led to a set of recommendations for relevant state authorities.

Moldova has set up a "Strategic Group" tasked with identifying gaps in the capacity of police to effectively identify and investigate hate crimes. Moldova's National Human Rights Action Plan (2018-2022) also addresses hate crimes, and has provided a basis for the adoption of internal action plans related to hate crime recording and data collection, hate crime investigation, and hate crime training.

Following a request by Moldova's Ministry of Justice, in 2016, ODIHR provided a legal opinion on draft amendments related to bias-motivated offences. ODIHR's recommendations were largely reflected in amendments to the Criminal Code adopted by the Moldovan Parliament and published on 3 June 2022.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2015 hate crime report for Moldova

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2022	7	6	3
2021	8	1	7
2020	8	2	2
2019	Not available	Not available	Not available
2018	10	5	41
2017	17	5	10
2016	5	5	5
2015	0	0	1
2014	1	1	Not available
2013	4	Not available	0
2012	3	Not available	Not available
2011	Not available	Not available	Not available
2010	Not available	Not available	Not available
2009	2	0	0

Hate crime recorded by police

National developments

In 2015, the Ministry of Justice continued a consultation process, through an inter-institutional working group, to revise and improve Moldova's criminal code provisions addressing hate crimes.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes – in the context of the disparity between reported official and IGO/NGO information – that reliable data can only be collected through mechanisms that capture all cases reported to law enforcement, and that the victims should be encouraged to report hate crimes.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Download incident data

Reports

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova and the OSCE Mission to Moldova reported an incident of vandalism, in which a swastika and other insulting inscriptions were drawn on the wall of a Jewish school.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

The Information Center "GenderDoc-M" and the OSCE Mission to Moldova reported a physical assault carried out by a group targeting a transgender woman and her husband, and a physical assault that involved a robbery. "GenderDoc-M" also reported an additional five physical assaults, including one carried out by a group and one that caused serious injury; two attempted assaults; two incidents in which rainbow flags were stolen from an LGBT-rights organization; one incident of vandalism; and four threats.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The OSCE Mission to Moldova participated in the work of an inter-institutional working group established by the Ministry of Justice to revise and improve the existing legal framework for combating hate crimes. The Mission also facilitated the Ministry of Justice's request to ODIHR to review the draft law prepared by this working group.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) supported a number of training initiatives related to refugees and hate crimes, organized in co-operation with the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), the Bureau for Migration and Asylum (BMA), judicial officials and civil society.